The ±«Óătv Libraries is reinventing itself.
For more than a decade, ±«Óătv Libraries has been exploring different models and methods to better serve the ±«Óătv community in an ever-changing academic landscape. Now, as the entire ±«Óătv System charges into a new era, the Librariesâ evolution surges on â transforming everything from student study space to its role in cutting-edge research across campus.
âItâs a very exciting time for us here at the Libraries,â said Todd Chavez, dean of ±«Óătv Libraries. âEverything weâve done in this new direction builds on our traditional strengths â our strong commitment to service, our role building meaningful collections and our desire to provide top-notch facilities. But, weâre definitely changing how we do those things in an effort to better serve ±«Óătv.â
For Chavez, this push is driven not only by a vision for the library, but by the incredible trajectory of the entire university. ±«Óătvâs designation as a Preeminent State Research University, its new Phi Beta Kappa chapter and its improved ranking in U.S. News & World Report all inspire and motivate the ±«Óătv Libraries team to find new ways to deepen the engagement with students, faculty, researchers and staff.
One way theyâre doing this is by transforming the way the library serves researchers and students. Their Research Platform Teams (RPT) are part of an innovative model that creates a series of librarian-led teams tasked with establishing deep relationships with faculty and graduate students in academic areas.
Traditionally, librarians would provide researchers with background support and instruction on finding and utilizing information resources for their work. The RPT model emphasizes active participation in research, grants, teaching and publication â giving librarians a more hands-on role across campus.
Right now, ±«Óătv has RPTs in geosciences as well as history and classics. The Library plans to expand the program to include business, marine sciences, data analytics, digital humanities and more as needs arise.
âWeâre trying to build these research platforms for our graduate students and faculty to stand on to have maximum success,â Chavez said.
The push for a greater impact on research doesnât stop at their service model. Library administrators are also transforming the way they build their digital collections. Using data from research across campus, the ±«Óătv Libraries partner with faculty to develop high-value and distinct collections not available anywhere else in the world.
At the center of this effort are ±«Óătv researchers Lori Collins, PhD, and Travis Doering, PhD, co-directors of ±«Óătv Libraries Digital Heritage & Humanities Collection. For years, they have been working to preserve cultural and natural heritage sites through a variety of digital imaging and visualization methods. Now, as part of ±«Óătv Libraries, they are transforming over a decade of work in the field into digital collections â in the process making this critical material globally accessible to students, researchers and policy makers.
âFor us it means that our data will have a lasting legacy through future research and will be able to be used in much more engaging ways in the classroom,â Collins said. âWeâre creating these tools that will be available to a much wider audience and live beyond our academic publications.â
Chavez and his leadership team plan to add four to six of these projects to their digital catalog every year and create the infrastructure that will allow other researchers to build collections from their work as well.
The is available for students and researchers around the world to utilize in their work.
While the services and academic resources are a key part of ±«Óătv Libraries, Chavez and his team are also focused on the physical space they provide for students.
Since opening the current facility in the 1970s, tens-of-thousands of Bulls have spent many late nights studying inside ±«Óătv Tampaâs primary library along Leroy Collins Blvd. This year, the ±«Óătv Libraries completed a massive renovation project, transforming the facilityâs fifth and sixth floors.
âOur strategy around facilities is to engage students,â Chavez said. âWe want to create spaces that students will be comfortable in, so we looked to them for guidance when it came time to renovate this space.â
Now used entirely for quiet study, the libraryâs fifth floor can seat nearly 420 students, more than three times its previous capacity. Chavez says lighting and HVAC systems have also been upgraded to provide a more comfortable and eco-friendly environment for students. Add to that better WIFI connectivity and increased access to power and data outlets, and students now have a state-of-the-art space in which to work, study and succeed.
âWhether itâs our new service model or the upgraded facilities, weâre trying to transform the experience here for researchers and students,â Chavez said. âWe want to be the best resource for the ±«Óătv community that we can be, and weâre excited about whatâs still to come.â