UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES 2006 STRATEGIC PLAN
SEPTEMBER 2006
UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT BOULDER BOULDER, CO 80309
University of Colorado at Boulder University Libraries
Introduction In assisting the University of Colorado at Boulder in its pursuit of excellence, the University Libraries face significant opportunities and challenges in the near future. This strategic plan outlines how library services and content can evolve in order to continue to meet the needs of today’s and tomorrow’s students and faculty and how the Libraries will be a leader, academic partner, and responsive participant in the change necessary to fulfill these responsibilities. Economic stress caused by the increasing costs of content, the increasing demands for digitally-based services and materials, and the changing demands on our facilities has challenged the Libraries’ ability to maintain even our most basic services. Despite these challenges, emerging technologies and the changing expectations of our clients offer an opportunity to evolve our services and collections to better meet the needs of the campus community. The strategies we have articulated are designed to be responsive to the needs of our clients while carefully investing limited resources. The Libraries can accomplish many of these goals without significant additional resources or space. Exceptions, however, pertain to staff lines, the information resources budget and facilities improvements. In the summer of 2005, the University Libraries began the process of updating the Libraries’ previous strategic plan. The key objective of this process was to examine operational approaches and organizational models that enable the Libraries to offer services and information resources that meet changing needs while fostering a collaborative, creative, challenging and satisfying work environment. Louella Wetherbee, an academic library planning consultant, led the team throughout the process. The fourteen-member team reviewed relevant campus strategic plans and Libraries’ statistical information and listened to clients through focus groups with students, personal interviews with faculty, discussions with the Boulder Faculty Assembly Library Committee, and surveys of the campus community. Key information was shared in public forums at several points in the process. Evolving drafts of the plan were posted on an open website for comments and suggestions from the Libraries’ faculty and staff. This strategic plan is the result of broad participation and is attentive to the diverse opinions of the campus and Libraries’ communities. It is also reflective of the fact that we continue to take seriously our responsibility to inform, to educate, to delight, to inspire, and to enable.
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University of Colorado at Boulder University Libraries
Team Membership Susan Anthes Brice Austin Liz Bishoff Christopher Cronin John Culshaw Marcy D’Avis Yem Fong Janet Hill Margaret Jobe Lynnette Leiker Scott Seaman Lou Wetherbee Meri Willett James F. Williams, II Sandy Wolf Associate Director for Public Services Head, Circulation and Interlibrary Loan Services Special Assistant to the Dean / Hd, Office of Sponsored Programs Head of Digital Resources Cataloging Faculty Director for Systems Music Librarian Faculty Director, Collection Development Associate Director for Technical Services Faculty Director, Engineering Library Library Technician III, Reference and Instruction Support Associate Director for Administrative Services Library Management Consultant General Professional III, Cataloging Management Team Leader Dean of Libraries Administrative Assistant III, Dean’s Office
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University of Colorado at Boulder University Libraries
The University Libraries is an academic community committed to maintaining a climate of mutual respect and collegiality, showing appreciation for a diversity of professional and disciplinary cultures and individual backgrounds. Mission •Be central to the University community’s discovery, communication, and use of knowledge by providing materials, information, and services that support the University's mission; •Serve as a research resource for Colorado residents through support for individual, business, cultural, educational, governmental, and other information needs; •Share resources with the national and international higher education community. Vision We envision the University of Colorado Libraries as an intellectual commons that preserves the best of the past, facilitates the present, and makes the future possible. Led by innovators in information and information technology, our intellectual commons is both a central physical and virtual space and a set of shared values: instruction, research and discovery, intellectual freedom, and the open exchange of ideas that is essential to a democratic society. We are committed to making the Libraries a source of pride to ourselves, the University of Colorado, and all the communities we serve. These communities stand at the center of our vision, plans, and endeavors, inspiring our commitment to diverse services, collections, and staff. To meet their needs, our services and collections—built in collaboration with University faculty, staff, and students—are made easily accessible through both established best practices and cutting edge technology. We take pride in our work and continually strive to achieve professional excellence. We provide the vital skills of information literacy that form the foundation for lifelong learning. This vision reflects our commitment to the value, integrity, and diversity of knowledge.
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University of Colorado at Boulder University Libraries
University Libraries Strategic Plan Client-Centered Focus The Libraries’ clients’ needs and expectations are changing rapidly, fueled by new technologies and new service models. The Libraries will allocate resources in the most strategic manner possible, focusing on our clients’ needs in order to maximize service to the campus and other constituencies. Goal 1: Base programs, collections, services, and policies on the needs of our clients, taking advantage of contemporary and emerging best practices. Objective 1: Build, sustain, and preserve a collection of information resources that is relevant to current and future campus teaching and research needs. Activities: Digitize materials from out collections. Objective 2: Provide print and digital resources to clients in a timely manner. Activities: Reduce time to make materials available. Objective 3: Create and sustain innovative programs that promote information literacy to support discovery, learning, and research. Activities: Stream digital video and audio for course reserves. Integrate online reference help and/or online tutorials. Explore non-traditional reference points. Goal 2: Improve the experiences of clients by fostering a culture of continual, assessment-based action and by actively promoting our services. Objective 1: Identify and evaluate new services that support clients’ changing information needs. Objective 2: Implement continual assessment of client needs, and modify services to respond to those needs. Activities: Develop a system-wide assessment plan. Assess website usage. Objective 3: Expand the Libraries’ promotional program for services and collections. Activities: Create a new marketing plan for new and emerging services.
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University of Colorado at Boulder University Libraries
Library as Destination Today’s academic library is defined by its physical and virtual space and by the programs, resources, and staff that make the library come alive. Libraries’ clients expect information to be available to them whenever and wherever they want to work. The Libraries has evolved beyond the boundaries of a defined space to a complex configuration that involves crosscampus and system-wide collaboration. Goal 1: Provide physical spaces that enhance campus teaching, learning, and research. Objective 1: Create physical spaces that facilitate both individual and collaborative learning and research. Activities: Enhance technology support for new models of instruction. Open 24/7 information commons in the renovated Business Library. Open 24/7information commons in Norlin Library. Repurpose existing Libraries spaces to increase availability of group study space during evenings and weekend hours. Objective 2: Establish the Libraries as a community learning space and a forum for faculty ideas in partnership with the University. Activities: Create within Norlin the CU Salon, a space for the exchange of ideas among faculty, students and the community. Objective 3: Improve Norlin’s environment to make it more intuitive for our clientele and more efficient for staff. Activities: Pilot one-desk concept in Norlin. Improve Norlin ambience through a “Quick Fix” committee. Goal 2: Create virtual information spaces that support diverse learning styles and research needs and that advance and sustain a culture of digital scholarship. Objective 1: Provide clients with customizable discovery tools. Activities: Create a Chinook Toolbar and implement Google search capabilities. Use technology and social networking tools to support teaching and learning.
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University of Colorado at Boulder University Libraries
Objective 2: Expand the Libraries’ ability to collect, create, and provide access to digital research materials. Activities: Investigate models and participate in creating and sustaining the University’s institutional open access initiative. Provide increased access to digital research materials. Explore implementation of cross resource searching with a federated search tool or comparable resource.
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University of Colorado at Boulder University Libraries
Optimal Organization The Libraries grows and changes in response to its environment. Optimal organization, highly trained, quality staff and technological and financial resources enable the Libraries to deliver the highest quality service. All staff must demonstrate leadership and effective communication and propose and implement innovative ideas for the future. The Libraries will be reallocating, reinvesting, and will require new funding to create the optimal organization. Goal 1: Create an organizational structure that maximizes the Libraries’ ability to meet client needs successfully. Objective 1: Modify work assignments, processes, and staff allocations to implement client-centered services. Activities: Develop a comprehensive student employee program. Review, update, and communicate the job sharing policy and procedures. Objective 2: Recruit personnel with the diverse knowledge and skills that will position the Libraries to operate in an effective manner, develop clientcentered services, and serve client needs. Activities: Libraries demonstrates diversity by hiring a diverse work force. Goal 2: Equip staff with the skills, knowledge, and tools they need to contribute fully to the goals and objectives of the Libraries. Objective 1: Develop and express a common set of values for the Libraries. Activities: Create a statement of behavioral expectations and communicate them to the staff. Objective 2: Create a leadership development program. Activities: Establish a training program for core competencies and technology training. Demonstrate diversity by hiring a diverse work force. Objective 3: Integrate continuing education and training into the operations of each library unit. Activities: For every staff member, guarantee weekly time away from usual duties to learn/keep up with new technologies. Establish a new technologies committee to investigate and explore cutting edge technologies.
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UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES APPENDIX 2006 ACTIVITIES PLAN
OCTOBER 2006
UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT BOULDER BOULDER, CO 80303
University of Colorado at Boulder University Libraries
CLIENT-CENTERED FOCUS
Priority 1 Reduce time required to make materials available.
Indicators of Excellence Cross-campus synergies Efficiencies and economies of scale Visibility for excellence Return on Investment • Undergraduate education • Graduate education and research • Diversity • Performance relative to peers • Faculty development • Administrative effectiveness.
Primary Responsible Parties: Technical Services and Collection Development__ ____ Cross-divisional Teams:_________________________________________ Priority 2 Digitize materials from our collections.
Primary Responsible Parties: Administrative Services____ ______ ____ Cross-divisional Teams: Digital Projects Advisory Group______________________ Priority 3 Stream digital video and audio for course reserves.
Indicators of Excellence Cross-campus synergies Efficiencies and economies of scale Visibility for excellence Return on Investment • Undergraduate education • Graduate education and research • Diversity • Performance relative to peers • Faculty development • Administrative effectiveness.
Primary Responsible Parties: Administrative Services____ ______ ____ Cross-divisional Teams: Digital Projects Advisory Group______________________
Indicators of Excellence Cross-campus synergies Efficiencies and economies of scale Visibility for excellence Return on Investment • Undergraduate education • Graduate education and research • Diversity • Performance relative to peers • Faculty development • Administrative effectiveness.
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University of Colorado at Boulder University Libraries
Priority 4 Integrate online reference help and/or online tutorials.
Indicators of Excellence Cross-campus synergies Efficiencies and economies of scale Visibility for excellence Return on Investment • Undergraduate education • Graduate education and research • Diversity • Performance relative to peers • Faculty development • Administrative effectiveness.
Primary Responsible Parties: Administrative Services and Public Services Cross-divisional Teams:_________________________________________ Priority 5 Create a new marketing plan for new and emerging services.
Primary Responsible Parties: Administrative Services____ Cross-divisional Teams: Marketing Committee___ Priority 6
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__________________
Indicators of Excellence Cross-campus synergies Efficiencies and economies of scale Visibility for excellence Return on Investment • Undergraduate education • Graduate education and research • Diversity • Performance relative to peers • Faculty development • Administrative effectiveness.
Develop a system-wide assessment plan.
Primary Responsible Parties: Administrative Services____ Cross-divisional Teams: Assessment Committee
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Indicators of Excellence Cross-campus synergies Efficiencies and economies of scale Visibility for excellence Return on Investment • Undergraduate education • Graduate education and research • Diversity • Performance relative to peers • Faculty development • Administrative effectiveness.
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University of Colorado at Boulder University Libraries
Priority 7 Assess website usage.
Indicators of Excellence Cross-campus synergies Efficiencies and economies of scale Visibility for excellence Return on Investment • Undergraduate education • Graduate education and research • Diversity • Performance relative to peers • Faculty development • Administrative effectiveness.
Primary Responsible Parties: Administrative Services____ ______ ____ Cross-divisional Teams: Assessment Committee and Web Advisory Committee Priority 8 Explore non-traditional reference points.
Primary Responsible Parties: Public Services___ _ ______ ____ Cross-divisional Teams: To Be Created___________________________________
Indicators of Excellence Cross-campus synergies Efficiencies and economies of scale Visibility for excellence Return on Investment • Undergraduate education • Graduate education and research • Diversity • Performance relative to peers • Faculty development • Administrative effectiveness.
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University of Colorado at Boulder University Libraries
LIBRARY AS DESTINATION
Priority 1 Investigate models and participate in creating and sustaining the University’s institutional open access initiative.
Indicators of Excellence Cross-campus synergies Efficiencies and economies of scale Visibility for excellence Return on Investment • Undergraduate education • Graduate education and research • Diversity • Performance relative to peers • Faculty development • Administrative effectiveness.
Primary Responsible Parties: Dean of Libraries__________________ ___________ Cross-divisional Teams:_________________________________________ Priority 2 Create within Norlin the CU Salon, a space for the exchange of ideas among faculty, students, the community.
Primary Responsible Parties: Administrative Services____ ______ Cross-divisional Teams: Marketing Committee and Others To Be Created Priority 3
____ _______
Indicators of Excellence Cross-campus synergies Efficiencies and economies of scale Visibility for excellence Return on Investment • Undergraduate education • Graduate education and research • Diversity • Performance relative to peers • Faculty development • Administrative effectiveness.
Provide increased access to digital research materials.
Primary Responsible Parties: Public Services and Technical Services ________ Cross-divisional Teams: Bibliographers _________________________________
Indicators of Excellence Cross-campus synergies Efficiencies and economies of scale Visibility for excellence Return on Investment • Undergraduate education • Graduate education and research • Diversity • Performance relative to peers • Faculty development • Administrative effectiveness.
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University of Colorado at Boulder University Libraries
Priority 4 Enhance technology support for new models of instruction.
Indicators of Excellence Cross-campus synergies Efficiencies and economies of scale Visibility for excellence Return on Investment • Undergraduate education • Graduate education and research • Diversity • Performance relative to peers • Faculty development • Administrative effectiveness.
Primary Responsible Parties: Administrative Services and Public Services ______ Cross-divisional Teams: To Be Created ___________________________ Priority 5 Open 24/7 information commons in Norlin Library.
Primary Responsible Parties: Administrative Services and Public Services ______ Cross-divisional Teams: To Be Created ___________________________
Indicators of Excellence Cross-campus synergies Efficiencies and economies of scale Visibility for excellence Return on Investment • Undergraduate education • Graduate education and research • Diversity • Performance relative to peers • Faculty development • Administrative effectiveness.
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University of Colorado at Boulder University Libraries
Priority 6 Develop one-desk concept in Norlin.
Indicators of Excellence Cross-campus synergies Efficiencies and economies of scale Visibility for excellence Return on Investment • Undergraduate education • Graduate education and research • Diversity • Performance relative to peers • Faculty development • Administrative effectiveness.
Primary Responsible Parties: Public Services ___________________ Cross-divisional Teams: To Be Created ___________________________ Priority 7 Explore implementation of cross resource searching with a federated search tool or comparable resource.
Primary Responsible Parties: Cabinet________________________________________ Cross-divisional Teams: To Be Created ___________________________ Priority 8 Repurpose existing Libraries spaces to increase availability of group study space during evenings and weekend hours.
Indicators of Excellence Cross-campus synergies Efficiencies and economies of scale Visibility for excellence Return on Investment • Undergraduate education • Graduate education and research • Diversity • Performance relative to peers • Faculty development • Administrative effectiveness.
Primary Responsible Parties: Administrative Services and Public Services ______ Cross-divisional Teams: To Be Created ___________________________
Indicators of Excellence Cross-campus synergies Efficiencies and economies of scale Visibility for excellence Return on Investment • Undergraduate education • Graduate education and research • Diversity • Performance relative to peers • Faculty development • Administrative effectiveness.
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University of Colorado at Boulder University Libraries
Priority 9 Use technology and social networking tools to support teaching and learning.
Indicators of Excellence Cross-campus synergies Efficiencies and economies of scale Visibility for excellence Return on Investment • Undergraduate education • Graduate education and research • Diversity • Performance relative to peers • Faculty development • Administrative effectiveness.
Primary Responsible Parties: Administrative Services and Public Services ______ Cross-divisional Teams: Web Advisory Committee _________________ Priority 10 Create a Chinook Toolbar and implement Google search capabilities.
Primary Responsible Parties: Cabinet________________________________________ Cross-divisional Teams: Web Advisory Committee and Chinook Oversight Group Priority 11 Improve Norlin ambience through a “Quick Fix” committee.
Indicators of Excellence Cross-campus synergies Efficiencies and economies of scale Visibility for excellence Return on Investment • Undergraduate education • Graduate education and research • Diversity • Performance relative to peers • Faculty development • Administrative effectiveness.
Primary Responsible Parties: Dean of Libraries__________________ ___________ Cross-divisional Teams: Library Advisory Board__________ _____________
Indicators of Excellence Cross-campus synergies Efficiencies and economies of scale Visibility for excellence Return on Investment • Undergraduate education • Graduate education and research • Diversity • Performance relative to peers • Faculty development • Administrative effectiveness.
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University of Colorado at Boulder University Libraries
OPTIMAL ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
Priority 1 Establish a new technologies committee to be a sounding board, investigate and explore cutting edge technologies.
Indicators of Excellence Cross-campus synergies Efficiencies and economies of scale Visibility for excellence Return on Investment • Undergraduate education • Graduate education and research • Diversity • Performance relative to peers • Faculty development • Administrative effectiveness.
Primary Responsible Parties: Cabinet________________________________________ Cross-divisional Teams: To Be Created ___________________________ Priority 2 Develop a comprehensive student employee program.
Primary Responsible Parties: Administrative Services_ _______________________ Cross-divisional Teams: To Be Created ___________________________ Priority 3 Hire a diverse work force.
Indicators of Excellence Cross-campus synergies Efficiencies and economies of scale Visibility for excellence Return on Investment • Undergraduate education • Graduate education and research • Diversity • Performance relative to peers • Faculty development • Administrative effectiveness.
Primary Responsible Parties: Cabinet________________________________________ Cross-divisional Teams: ___________________________
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Indicators of Excellence Cross-campus synergies Efficiencies and economies of scale Visibility for excellence Return on Investment • Undergraduate education • Graduate education and research • Diversity • Performance relative to peers • Faculty development • Administrative effectiveness.
University of Colorado at Boulder University Libraries
Priority 4 Establish a training program for core competencies and technology training.
Indicators of Excellence Cross-campus synergies Efficiencies and economies of scale Visibility for excellence Return on Investment • Undergraduate education • Graduate education and research • Diversity • Performance relative to peers • Faculty development • Administrative effectiveness.
Primary Responsible Parties: Administrative Services_ _______________________ Cross-divisional Teams: Faculty Staff Development Committee and others To Be Created __________________________ _ Priority 5 Create a statement of behavioral expectations and communicate them to the staff.
Primary Responsible Parties: Dean of Libraries__________________ ___________ Cross-divisional Teams: Library Advisory Board__________ _____________ Priority 6 For every staff member, guarantee weekly time away from usual duties to learn/keep up with new technologies.
Indicators of Excellence Cross-campus synergies Efficiencies and economies of scale Visibility for excellence Return on Investment • Undergraduate education • Graduate education and research • Diversity • Performance relative to peers • Faculty development • Administrative effectiveness.
Primary Responsible Parties: Cabinet________________________________________ Cross-divisional Teams: Council_ ____
Indicators of Excellence Cross-campus synergies Efficiencies and economies of scale Visibility for excellence Return on Investment • Undergraduate education • Graduate education and research • Diversity • Performance relative to peers • Faculty development • Administrative effectiveness.
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University of Colorado at Boulder University Libraries
Priority 7 Review, update, and communicate the job sharing policy and procedures.
Indicators of Excellence Cross-campus synergies Efficiencies and economies of scale Visibility for excellence Return on Investment • Undergraduate education • Graduate education and research • Diversity • Performance relative to peers • Faculty development • Administrative effectiveness.
Primary Responsible Parties: Dean of Libraries__________________ ___________ Cross-divisional Teams: Library Advisory Board__________ _____________
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