The University of Texas at Arlington

The Information Services staff supports the research and teaching efforts of the UT Arlington community. Information Services staff provide a variety of services to assist you in finding the information you need. The UT Arlington Library consist of several locations, and each of these facilities is staffed with knowledgeable people to help you locate materials and resources.

As an integral part of the educational program of the University of Texas at Arlington (UT Arlington), the Libraries' Information Services staff provides information and research assistance to the UT Arlington community for on-site as well as off-site users. As the primary contact between the Libraries' services and the various campus communities, we will aggressively identify potential users and assist them in acquiring accurate and comprehensive information to support faculty research and student learning. We will strive to maximize expertise and efficiently maintain a personal and friendly approach, to emphasize quality service, to evaluate, and to enhance users' needs to achieve the optimum in responsive service for all users. We will continue to exceed users' expectations.

• To support UT Arlington's Mission, the UT Arlington Library's Mission and Purpose, and the Information Services Mission
• To provide guidance and assistance in the pursuit of information and to foster information fluency for life-long learning through Library and Internet resources

Our primary clientele are UT Arlington students, faculty, and staff, but we do not differentiate among types of service at the Service Desk based on a user's affiliation or status. However, due to licensing contracts, not all databases, indexes, and reference sources, including Internet access, are available to all users. Also, a copy of the Library's Internet Access Policy is on file.

• Ready reference assistance for specific factual information needs
• Assistance and instruction identifying appropriate sources for research
• Assistance with information collection and navigating the library system to find identified sources
• Assistance and instruction using print and electronic resources
• In-depth one-on-one research consultations with the Subject Librarians
• For some reference questions, we may suggest that you ask a licensed professional (i.e. doctor, lawyer, psychologist, etc.)
• Appropriate referrals to library, campus, or community services
• Tours of the facilities

In-Person Services:

• In-person inquiries are on a first-come, first-served basis
• During peak times, the Information Services staff will try our best to give assistance to each individual in order to accommodate all users
• Reference Desk hours differ from the Libraries' hours

Telephone Services:

• Telephone reference service is available during service desk hours
• Priority is given to in-person inquiries
• The Information Services staff may not be able to conduct in-depth research for phone callers. An in-person visit is suggested for more in-depth assistance.
• Sometimes Information Services staff may not be able to answer the telephone but voice mail is available, and staff will respond to voice mail as quickly as possible

E-Mail Services:

• E-mail services are intended to answer factual inquiries, but we will try our best to offer research assistance via e-mail
• Information Services staff will respond to e-mail requests as soon as possible during regular Reference Desk hours.

Chat services:

• The chat service is available to anyone with a valid e-mail address, for short and factual questions and quick answers about the Library's resources, services, and facilities.
• Response time is always related to the complexity of the question and some questions may be sent to a user's e-mail address after a chat session is closed.

Information Services staff adhere to the American Library Association's Reference and User Services Guidelines