John Peace Library JPL

What John Peace Library JPL does

The University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries (UTSA Libraries) is the public university library system anchored by the John Peace Library (JPL), which opened on June 2, 1976 as the largest building on campus and now serves approximately 29,000 students. The system operates four primary locations: the John Peace Library (Main Campus, One UTSA Circle), the Downtown Library (DTL on the 2nd floor of the Buena Vista Building), the Applied Engineering and Technology Library (AET), and the Special Collections Reading Room, along with the Community-Engaged Digital Scholarship Hub (CEDISH). The library is named after John R. Peace II, who championed efforts to bring a four-year public university to San Antonio.

UTSA Libraries provides academic research support through a technology stack built on the Primo Ex Libris discovery platform, which integrates access to research databases, e-journals, e-books, government documents, and an institutional repository. The library offers interlibrary loan (Get It For Me), technology lending (laptops, tablets, chargers), course reserves, study spaces, research consultations with subject librarians, and digital collections. Special Collections preserves Texas heritage materials including rare books, personal papers, organizational records, and photograph collections; notable recent holdings include the Joe Bernal Archive. The library integrates with Google Scholar for research access and Blackboard for course integration, with distribution channels spanning physical locations, 24/7 online access, and classroom instruction sessions.

As a government state entity within the UT System governed by the Board of Regents, UTSA Libraries is funded through state appropriations, student fees, and private donations rather than direct user revenue. Services are provided free of charge to UTSA students, faculty, and staff, with limited borrowing privileges for visitors and alumni. The library has a strategic integration initiative with UT Health San Antonio to combine resources for health sciences research support. It is part of The University of Texas at San Antonio, a public state university system.

Name

John Peace Library JPL

Legal name

The University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries

Website

https://lib.utsa.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

UTSA Libraries is the public university library system at the University of Texas at San Antonio, operating the John Peace Library and branch locations to serve approximately 29,000 students, faculty, and staff with academic research resources, digital collections, and special collections.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Library Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (519210)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAEAGAB

Academic & Research Library Operations (College/University Libraries)

Education/Education Facilities & Support Services/Library, Media Center & Learning Space Operations

SECONDARYEDAEAGAF

Digital Library & Electronic Resources Operations (e-Resources, Repositories, Licensing)

Education/Education Facilities & Support Services/Library, Media Center & Learning Space Operations

SECONDARYBPAGAHAF

Libraries, Archives & Special Collections

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Arts, Culture & Heritage Nonprofits

Keywords

• Academic library services
• Research databases
• Interlibrary loan
• Digital collections
• Special collections archives

Headquarters

HQ city

San Antonio

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

John Peace Library (JPL) is the main campus library of the University of Texas at San Antonio, providing academic research resources, study spaces, technology lending, course reserves, interlibrary loan (Get It For Me), access to licensed databases and digital collections, and Special Collections archiving Texas heritage materials. It operates alongside the Downtown Library and Applied Engineering and Technology Library as a multi-location public university library system.

Product overview

UTSA Libraries, centered around the John Peace Library (JPL), operates a multi-location library system including the Downtown Library (DTL) and Applied Engineering and Technology Library (AET), along with Special Collections and the Community-Engaged Digital Scholarship Hub (CEDISH). The library provides traditional academic library services including research databases, interlibrary loan (Get It For Me), technology lending, study spaces, course reserves, and access to digital collections. The system integrates with Primo (Ex Libris) for catalog discovery, Google Scholar for research access, and Blackboard for course integration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• John Peace Library (JPL) Main campus library at UTSA providing research resources, study spaces, technology lending, and academic support services for students, faculty, and researchers.
• Downtown Library (DTL) Downtown campus library offering library services and study spaces with views of the San Antonio skyline.
• Applied Engineering and Technology Library (AET) Library supporting engineering and technology disciplines with specialized resources.
• Special Collections Archives and special collections including personal papers, organizational records, rare books, photograph collections, digital collections, and Texas heritage materials such as the Joe Bernal archive.
• Get It For Me (Interlibrary Loan) Service allowing users to request resources from other libraries when not available at UTSA Libraries.
• Technology Lending Equipment checkout service providing laptops, tablets, chargers, and other technology for library users.
• Research Databases Access to licensed academic databases, journals, and electronic resources supporting research across all disciplines.
• Digital Collections Online digitized collections including archived websites, oral histories, photographs, and historical materials.
• Course Reserves Textbooks and course materials placed on reserve by faculty for student access.
• Study Spaces Reserved study rooms and spaces available for individual and group study.
• Research Guides Subject-specific research guides created by librarian specialists to assist with research across disciplines.
• UTSA Libraries Catalog Primo-based discovery system for searching print and electronic library collections.
• Community-Engaged Digital Scholarship Hub (CEDISH) Digital scholarship initiative supporting community engagement and preservation of San Antonio and Texas heritage, including projects such as Sounds of San Anto and the PATH program.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• UT Health San AntoniocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntegration with UT Health San Antonio library services, combining resources and expertise of the UTSA and UT Health libraries to provide enhanced research support for health sciences students and faculty.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• EBSCO Information Services: Major vendor of research databases, e-journals, and discovery services supplied to UTSA Libraries. Relevant as an adjacent ecosystem peer shaping what library users access.
• Ex Libris (Clarivate): Provider of the Primo discovery platform used by JPL for catalog/search; an ecosystem/infrastructure peer that delivers the underlying technology stack JPL relies on, rather than a direct competitor.
• OCLC: Global library cooperative underpinning interlibrary loan and shared cataloging used by UTSA Libraries; included as an enabling/ecosystem peer rather than a direct competitor.

Direct peers

• Rice University Library: Houston-based private research university library with comparable depth in special collections, digital scholarship, and subject-specialist research support — directly comparable in service model, though private rather than public.
• University of Houston Libraries: Large Texas public research university library with similar urban setting, comparable student scale, and an emphasis on digital collections and community-engaged programming akin to UTSA Libraries.
• University of Texas at Austin Libraries: Flagship UT System research library serving the largest public university in Texas. Most directly comparable peer given shared UT System governance, overlapping user type (Texas public university students/faculty), and analogous multi-branch academic library operating model.
• UT Health San Antonio Library: Peer and active integration partner under the UT System; both libraries are combining resources to deliver unified services, making it the closest peer in operational alignment and strategic mandate.
• Texas Tech University Library: Texas public research university library comparable in scale and service breadth, with similar reliance on state appropriations and tuition-based funding, and a comparable multi-branch and special collections footprint.
• Texas A&M University Libraries: Major Texas public research university library system comparable in scale, mission, and service mix (multi-branch, special collections, digital scholarship) to UTSA Libraries, serving a similarly large Texas student and faculty population.

Broad incumbents

• Stanford Libraries: Much larger, nationally prominent academic research library with extensive special collections and digital scholarship programs. Useful as a broad-incumbent reference for how a mature university library scales digital, archival, and research-support services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/UTSALibraries
• Facebookfacebook.com/utsalibraries
• Instagraminstagram.com/utsalibraries
• Pinterestpinterest.com/utsalibraries
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/john-peace-library-jpl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about John Peace Library JPL