Alkek Library

Albert B. Alkek Library
Alkek Library
Map
29°53′21″N 97°56′35″W / 29.8891°N 97.9431°W / 29.8891; -97.9431
LocationSan Marcos, Texas, United States
TypeAcademic library
Other information
AffiliationTexas State University
Websitewww.library.txstate.edu

The Albert B. Alkek Library is the architectural centerpiece and intellectual hub of the Texas State University San Marcos campus. It offers library patrons the opportunity to explore, create and discover in an expansive seven-story building that is packed with resources, technology and spaces for quiet or collaborative research and study. The Wittliff Collections of Southwestern Writers and Southwestern & Mexican Photography and Texas Music is located on the seventh floor of the Alkek Library. Committed to preserving the creative legacy of the Southwest to instruct and inspire future generations, The Wittliff's cultural pillars provide the keystone for discovery of the region's heritage through thousands of archival treasures.

The university's library was named, in 1991, for oilman, rancher, and philanthropist, Albert B. Alkek. The Albert B. Alkek Library serves as the main, central academic library supporting the Texas State University (formerly Southwest Texas State University) community. As a storehouse for United States and Texas government documents, the library receives a large number of government publications from the state and 60% of all federal publications. The mission of the library, as stated by University Officials, "is to advance the teaching and research mission of the University and support students, faculty, staff and the greater community by providing patron-centered services, comprehensive and diverse collections, individual and collaborative learning environments, innovative technologies, and opportunities to explore, create and discover."[1]

Among the Library's seven floors, students encounter a huge volume of research materials, printed texts, audio-visual materials, and creative technology resources. The Library encompasses niche collections which are rare to the University. These holdings include The Wittliff Collections housed on the Library's seventh floor, the King of the Hill archives, major work of significant writers such as Cormac McCarthy, Sandra Cisneros and Sam Shepard, and the Lonesome Dove collection.[1]

  1. ^ a b "About Us". University Libraries. Texas State University. November 1, 2022. Archived from the original on 2015-01-12. Retrieved November 1, 2022.