Morris Library

The mission of Library Affairs is to support the instructional, research, and service needs of SIU Carbondale. Library Affairs improves the lives of everyone shaped by the SIU experience by assuming a leadership role in providing access to the latest scholarly research and student instruction geared toward critical thinking and source evaluation. Library Affairs identifies user service as its top priority, offers undergraduate and graduate student scholarships, and promotes the use of open access materials by funding the Open Textbook Initiative for SIU faculty to benefit their students.

Morris Library is a cornerstone of the excellent education SIU Carbondale students receive, and we continue to evolve. With your help, we are now developing plans to provide the tools students will need to enter the non-textual landscape of knowledge creation that lies ahead. Our focus continues to be forward-thinking while striving to meet the needs of citizens and scholars at SIU, across state lines and international borders. Morris Library furnishes the facilities and equipment necessary to meet technological needs; house, develop and preserve collections; and provide optimal spaces for users, staff, and co-located services.

Giving to the Library Excellence Activities Fund allows Library Affairs – that is, Morris Library, SIU Archives, Sharp Museum, and SIU Press - to achieve the goal of expanding access, and with that, productive use of our resources, to maximize the library’s impact for students, faculty, and community members. Free printing is top of that list as something that the library wants to provide for students. Longer hours and more technological support are other ways that we seek to enhance the availability of the library’s services. There are a lot of new technologies – among them artificial intelligence, game design, enhanced research capabilities – and the library wants to enhance what students can do! By expanding our journal collections, free online textbooks, and subscriptions to additional educational resources, we’re building the infrastructure to maximize the scholarly productivity of students, faculty, and alumni.

An investment in Morris Library is an investment in Saluki student success. We are grateful for your generosity. Please see our funding priorities below and click Give Now at the top of the page or click the fund you want to support below to make your gift.