Making Knowledge Accessible

Ever since she was a child, the library has been a special place for Lexi Lynch because of the doors it opens to opportunity, knowledge, entertainment, and peace. As a staff member at UTA Libraries, Lexi has the chance to share that love with the people she works with and the library patrons she meets daily.  

“I like that a library is a place where anyone can be. You can just exist here. You can find different things to read and do. You can find different things to learn. You can be at peace here,” Lexi said. “When I was a little girl, I loved reading and going to the library. I would have to negotiate with my mom about how many books I could get. The library has always been such a special place to me. Especially considering that is where I could go to get new books that I could read.” 

Lexi is a recent graduate from Abilene Christian University, majoring in history. She will start in the fall at the University of North Texas starting on her master’s degree in Library Sciences. Working here on campus connects Lexi to her dad a little bit more due to his time as a student. At the library, Lexi works with Interlibrary Loans in the Access and Discovery Department. She processes requests from other libraries seeking books in the UTA Libraries catalog that are not in their collection.  

“Interlibrary Loans are about making information more accessible,” Lexi said. “It is about making sure if the library you frequent doesn’t have the book you want, then there is another place that does.” 

At UTA Libraries, the Interlibrary Loan is a free service. Through this service, it obtains and delivers materials that the library does not own. This service is available to currently enrolled students, faculty, staff, and retired faculty members. Items borrowed through this service include books, articles, theses/dissertations, microform, and other media.  

Lexi shared that Interlibrary Loans is a valuable service but unknown to many people until they ask for a particular item. She encourages people who need resources that the library does not have available to seek out the Interlibrary Loan system.