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Elihu Burritt Library Strategic Plan, 2012-2015

Click to download a copy (.docx).

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Mission Statement
Vision Statement
Goals and Objectives
Appendix I:
Environmental Scan and Works Consulted
Appendix II:
CCSU Mission and Vision Statements, Strategic Plan
Appendix III:
Excerpt from 2010 top ten trends in academic libraries
Appendix IV:
Committee Assignments - Year One
MISSION STATEMENT

The Elihu Burritt Library at Central CT State University satisfies the 21st century learning and research needs of its community of learners by facilitating knowledge creation and inspiring intellectual curiosity and lifelong learning.

 


VISION STATEMENT

In 2015, the Elihu Burritt Library will, for the campus community, be:

  • An information laboratory for knowledge discovery, creation, sharing, and curation.
  • Thoroughly integrated into the fabric of the University through innovative collaborations with teaching faculty, information technology, academic support services, and the community.
  • A public commons equipped with flexible learning spaces for group interaction, educational programming, and individual pursuits.
  • A catalyst for developing the habits of mind that enable critical thinking and the ethical use of information to support student academic excellence and lifelong learning.

  

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

GOAL 1:  Fully integrate the library’s collections and services with the University’s curriculum and strategic priorities.

  • Objective 1.1: Integrate information literacy competencies into the general education curriculum.
  • Objective 1.2: Make library collections and services available in CCSU’s Course Management System (e.g., reserves, tutorials, collections, etc.).
  • Objective 1.3:  Build strong relationships with students and faculty through modes of engagement such as embedded and personal librarians as well as other personalized library services.
  • Objective 1.4:  Make campus academic support services more accessible to students through collaboration with the Writing Center, Learning Center, and the Center for Advising and Career Exploration.
  • Objective 1.5:  Ensure the fulfillment of student-centered strategic objectives through:
    • 1.5a:  Identify and develop strategies for reviewing the library’s organizational structure and staff assignments;
    • 1.5b: the provision of additional staff training or redevelopment opportunities;
    • 1.5c: assessment of student learning that takes place in information literacy instruction sessions and the LSC 150 course.
  • Objective 1.6: Reach students at their point of need by embedding real-time, 24/7 reference service in course management systems, research databases, and other library web services.

This goal and its objectives align with the following University Strategic Plan objectives:

  • 1.1: Student Learning Outcomes
  • 2.1: Retention rate
  • 2.2: Graduation rate for first-time full-time students
  • 2.3: Graduation rate for transfer students
  • 3.7: IT proficiency

GOAL 2:  Facilitate the seamless, timely delivery of scholarly materials in the format desired by students, faculty, and staff through a multiplicity of delivery channels available to a 21st century library.

  • Objective 2.1: Create a 21st century collection development policy that addresses collection building strategies for all library resources and that balances the traditional “just in case” model with “just in time”/on demand models. (See Appendix 4)
  • Objective 2.2: Complete a study that determines the feasibility of transitioning to shelf-ready services for print monographs.
  • Objective 2.3: Change the library’s current internal line item budget formulas to best support strategic initiatives and reflect the reality of 21st century collection-building and information access for our students and faculty.
  • Objective 2.4:  Support student and faculty scholarship by developing a digitization-on-demand program for the library and by centralizing library-wide digitization projects and initiatives.
  • Objective 2.5:  Pilot a Patron Driven Acquisitions project for the purchase of electronic books with the other CSU libraries.
  • Objective 2.6:  Determine the feasibility of instituting purchase on demand through interlibrary loan.
  • Objective 2.7:  Determine, with the other Connecticut State University/Connecticut Community College libraries, the viability of implementing a discovery service that is not cost prohibitive and simplifies the discovery and delivery of materials in our collections.
  • Objective 2.8:  Increase student and faculty self-service and seamless delivery capabilities through the implementation of an RFID (radio frequency identification) system that allows for self check-out of materials.

This goal and its objectives align with the following University Strategic Plan objective:

            4.3: Internal support for scholarship

GOAL 3: Leverage the library’s existing space to create a variety of flexible, welcoming learning spaces that fulfill the educational and social needs of the campus community.

  • Objective 3.1: Identify cost-effective options to continue building renovation and refurbishment and discuss those options with the University’s Chief Administrative Officer.
  • Objective 3.2: Create additional student space through the development and implementation of a weeding policy and/or off-site storage of underutilized materials.
  • Objective 3.3: Meet the demand for collaborative and social networking workspaces       with additional group study rooms.
  • Objective 3.4: Meet the demand for quiet space designed to support those students who prefer to work individually and in an environment that promotes focus, concentration, and thought.
  • Objective 3.5: Redevelop space on the second floor as a Learning Commons with high-end media production and printing capabilities.
  • Objective 3.6: Build a versatile high-tech computer classroom that invites our students and faculty to avail themselves of library instruction services as well as, when feasible, fulfill the teaching faculty’s need for computer classroom space.
  • Objective 3.7: Remedy the lack of assistive and adaptive technologies for students and faculty who require them through identification and purchase of said technologies.

This goal and its objectives align with the following University Strategic Plan objectives:

  • 3.7: IT proficiency
  • 7.1: Academic space

GOAL 4:  Expand the library’s reach through broader engagement with the campus community and beyond.

  • Objective 4.1: Support and increase our community engagement efforts through partnerships with community organizations and academic departments, as well as archival and digitization projects.
  • Objective 4.2: Develop a library marketing and outreach plan to promote the library’s collections, facilities, and services to the campus community.
  • Objective 4.3: Transition from the current library liaison arrangement to a proactive program that clarifies responsibilities and expectations for program participants, strengthens the role of the librarian as teacher, and improves communication and outreach to academic departments.
  • Objective 4.4: Gain a better understanding of our students’ needs and information-seeking behaviors using student focus groups, surveys, and ethnographic techniques.
  • Objective 4.5: Continue to support collaboration with Connecticut academic library organizations with similar missions and goals.
  • Objective 4.6: Collaborate with the University’s Office of Institutional Advancement to create a vibrant “Friends of the Library” group that serves to significantly increase the Library’s endowment.
  • Objective 4.7: Continue the library’s participation in campus-wide community engagement initiatives including outreach to schools, hosting public lectures, and other educational events.
  • Objective 4.8: Gain a better understanding of the needs of our faculty and staff through improved communication, conducting faculty/staff library information sessions and focus groups, and through regular interviews with library stakeholders.

This goal and its objectives align with the following University Strategic Plan objectives:

  • 2.1 Retention rate
  • 2.2 Graduation rate for first-time full-time students
  • 2.3 Graduation rate for transfer students
  • 2.4 Community engagement

Appendix I: Environmental Scan

As part of the Burritt Library’s strategic planning process the committee members were asked to participate in an environmental scan.  There is a list of works consulted at the end of this document.  In addition to these resources members visited the library websites of CCSU’s peer institutions as well as several inspirational libraries.  Additionally, the committee held several meetings with key campus stakeholders in order to gain insights into their departmental priorities and to gain a deeper understanding of the library’s place within the context of the larger university mission.  This document is divided up as follows:

  • Insights gained from readings and website reviews
  • Report of stakeholder interviews
  • Report on Academic Library Trends
  • Works Consulted

Reports of Environmental Scans of Readings and Websites

The Committee met to discuss readings and evaluation of websites and, over a series of discussions, certain trends did emerge:

  • Our website is quite good relative to our peers
  • The library needs to diversify its definition of itself in order to stay relevant
  • Our staff technology skill sets are lacking
  • There is a strong need to develop a sense of place as well as student-centered services
  • The warehousing of physical materials is no longer a primary function and we must transform in order to survive in a digital age.

Report of Stakeholder Interviews

Campus Stakeholders interviewed by the Strategic Planning Committee:

  • Paulette Lemma, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Graduate Studies
  • Carl Lovitt, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
  • James Estrada, Chief Information Officer
  • Richard Bachoo, Chief Administrative Officer
  • Laura Tordenti, Vice President for Student Affairs
  • Zdzislaw Kremens, Dean of the School of Engineering and Technology
  • Susan Pease, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences

Campus Trends Identified by Stakeholders

Dr. Bachoo and Dr. Lemma placed much emphasis on improvement of the physical plant. Deans Kremens and Pease both focused on growing academic programs and an increased need for resources, especially electronic resources. Dr. Tordenti gave the Committee valuable information on the changing needs of students.  Overall, several themes emerged:

  • An increased demand for electronic resources that provide our increasingly busy students with the most current information that can be accessed from any place and at any time.
  • A need to weed our collections thoroughly to remove underutilized or outdated materials.
  • An increased desire for group study space.
  • A desire for integrating Information Literacy into the larger curriculum, especially in the General Education component.
  • An increased use of the library for lectures, symposia and other cultural and educational activities.
  • A need to be sensitive to the challenges facing a new generation of students.

Academic Library Trends 

  • Learning Commons
  • Patron Driven Acquisitions (Greater emphasis on meeting community needs)
  • Mobile Computing including the increased use of tables and smartphones
  • Augmented Reality
  • Print on Demand
  • More students fewer books (Greater emphasis on programs and services rather than acquisition of materials)
  • Offsite Storage for low use materials
  • Integration of academic support services (Career Services, Media Services, Instructional Technology, etc.)
  • Virtual Reference services
  • RFID and self check-out
  • Changing  staff skill sets

Works Consulted

Appendix II: Central Connecticut State University Mission and Vision Statements

II. A. Mission Statement

Central Connecticut State University is a community of learners dedicated to teaching and scholarship that emphasizes development and application of knowledge and ideas through research and outreach activities, and prepares students to be thoughtful, responsible and successful citizens. As a comprehensive public university, we provide broad access to quality degree programs at the baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral levels.
Elements of distinctiveness:
CCSU identifies the following as distinctive elements within the Connecticut State University system of four constituent universities:
• International Education
• Workforce and State Economic Development
• Community Engagement
• Interdisciplinary Studies and Cross-Curricular Initiative

II. B. Vision Statement

Central Connecticut State University aspires to be recognized for:
• graduating broadly educated, culturally and globally aware students who will contribute
   meaningfully to their communities as engaged professionals and citizens;
• contributing to knowledge through scholarship; and
• fostering societal improvements through responsive and innovative programs.

II. C. University Strategic Plan

Follow or copy and paste this link to the CCSU Strategic Plan in PDF: http://www.ccsu.edu/uploaded/departments/AdministrativeDepartments/Presidents_Office/CCSUStrategicPlan2011FINAL.pdf

Appendix III: Excerpt

Excerpt from:

2010 top ten trends in academic libraries
A review of the current literature
ACRL Research Planning and Review Committee
http://crln.acrl.org/content/71/6/286.short

Academic library collection growth is driven by patron demand and will include new resource types. Budget reductions, user preferences for electronic access to materials, limited physical space, and the inability to financially sustain comprehensive collections have led many academic libraries to shift from a “just-in-case” to a “just-in-time” philosophy. This change has been facilitated by customized patron-driven acquisitions programs from some major library book distributors, improved print-on-demand options for monographs, patron desire for new resource types, and resource sharing systems, such as RapidILL, offering 24-hour turnaround time for article requests. Still to be determined are the long-term effects of this change on the ability of academic libraries to meet their clientele’s information needs, the stability of some of the new access methods, and implications for future scholarship. Increasingly, libraries are acquiring local collections and unique materials and, when possible, digitizing them to provide immediate, full-text online access to increase visibility and use. Access to full-text sources, not the discovery of the sources, is a major issue for scholars.

These materials may include special collections, university archives, and/or the scholarly output of faculty and students. Libraries also recognize the need to collect, preserve, and provide access to digital datasets.

Appendix IV: Committee Assignments - Year One

Strategic Plan – Year 1
Committee Assignments as Developed by Carl Antonucci, Director of Library Services

Library Staff Assessment Committee- Carl, Kim, Dana, Chip, Barbara
Objective 1.5a – Identify and develop strategies for reviewing the library’s organizational structure and staff assignments
Collection Development and Weeding Policy Committee – Kristin, Lynn, Coleen, Alberto, Laurie, Steven, Rick
Objective 2.1 –  Create a 21st century collection development policy that addresses collection building strategies for all library resources and that balances the traditional  “just in case” model with “just in time”/ on demand models.
Objective 3.2 – Create additional student space through the development and implementation of a weeding policy and/or off-site storage of underutilized materials
Space Committee – Carl, Theresa, Renata, Edward, Norm, Sarah Lawson, Susan, Steven
Goal 3 - Leverage the library’s existing space to create a variety of flexible, welcoming learning spaces that fulfill the educational and social needs of the campus community
Information Literacy Assessment Committee – Nick, Barbara, Susan, Andy
Objective 1.5c – Ensure the fulfillment of student-centered strategic objectives through assessment of student learning that takes place in the information literacy instruction sessions and the LSC 150 course
Digitization Committee – Dana, Arianna, Ewa, Renata, Jaime, Edward
Objective 2.4 – Support student and faculty scholarship by developing a digitization on-demand program for the library and by centralizing library wide digitization projects and initiatives
Patron Driven Acquisitions Committee – Chip, Dana, Steven, TzouMin, Lynn
Objective 2.5 – Pilot a Patron Driven Acquisitions project for the purchase of electronic books with the other CSU libraries
Electronic Reserves Committee – Kim, Heidi, Jaime, Susan, Kristin
Objective 1.2 – Make library collections and Services available in CCSU’s Course Management System (e.g., reserves, tutorials, collections, etc.)