Report for the University of North Texas (UNT) Libraries. At the request of Dean of Libraries, Dr. Martin Halbert, consultant Charles Forrest conducted a one-day site visit to the UNT Libraries on April 18, 2014. The site visit encompassed a brief tour of facilities, meeting with staff, a workshop with library staff, and a second workshop with a more broadly-based group of library staff, students, and other UNT stakeholders. The results of this site visit and recommendations are summarized in this report.

This report summarizes key strategic priorities for the UNT Libraries in the FY 2014-2017 period, and will inform planning activities during this time. This document should be read in close conjunction with other associated strategic planning documents of the UNT Libraries, including the following: 2014 Strategic Plan Alignment Map of UNT Libraries and Academic Affairs, UNT Libraries Strategic Plan 2011-2015, and UNT Press Strategic Plan 2014-2019. This document lays out the primary directions that the UNT Libraries will undertake during the coming four years. It builds on previous work and accomplishments during the 2011-2014 period, and serves as a transitional planning guide for moving beyond the 2011-2015 strategic plan. The most important priority for the next three years will be the first one listed: improving library resources. Without adequate resources, it is unlikely that progress will be made on the other priorities.

The Vann Victorian Collection is a treasure of the University of North Texas Libraries and an exceptional resource for the study of Victorian literature. This exhibit showcases some pieces from the collection, including rare first editions, part-issue editions, and association copies. Dr. J. Don Vann, Professor Emeritus at UNT, curated this exhibit. Don and Dolores Vann began collecting Victorian books in 1962, when they acquired a first edition of Dickens’s Bleak House. They spent the summer of 1965 in London, conducting research in the British Library and buying first editions of works by Charles Dickens and William Makepeace Thackeray. During their subsequent trips to London, the Vanns came to know many of the city’s booksellers and were offered first editions they kept hidden from all but their most favorite customers. In 2004 Don and Dolores established the Vann Victorian Endowment to provide a permanent fund to purchase Victorian books for the Vann Victorian Collection in Special Collections at the University of North Texas Libraries. Since 2004 the Vanns have made additional contributions to the collection, most recently in 2014.