The University was designated as a Literary Landmark by Friends of Libraries U.S.A. in 2006. UNA is the first site in the State of Alabama to receive this honor. The designation is based upon the role of the University in the life and writing of Pulitzer Prize winning author T. S. Stribling.

Stribling, a 1903 graduate of the institution, was awarded the Pulitzer for Literature in 1933 for The Store.  The Store was the second work in his epic trilogy portraying the lives of a fictional family in Lauderdale County, Alabama, as they dealt with the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the boom period of the 1920s. The University library houses an extensive collection of Stribling writings, research materials, and memorabilia.