All library faculty and staff, full time and part time, participated at some point in the strategic planning process outlined below.
On Friday, January 8, 2021, all library faculty and staff were invited to an online meeting. Breakout groups identified "Wow Ideas" -- initiatives to improve the library's operations -- in five areas: Collections & Resources, Online Services, On-Campus Services, Collaboration With Other Departments, Personnel Development, and Information Literacy Instruction. Below are the Wow Ideas that were generated.
WOW Ideas
Collections & Resources
1. Evaluate needs and keep up with the times by reviewing age of materials, formats, and interests
2. Buy electronic versions of textbooks to support student learning and financial wellbeing
3. Accommodate growing interest in graphic novels and other leisure materials
Online Services
1. Establish a specific position for marketing all aspects of library services, resources and spaces not directly related to instruction.
2. Integrate instructional content into LibGuides – not just a listing of resources
3. Make usage data more transparent (to impact collection and budget decisions)
4. Enhance FAQ and videos/tutorials with instructions for using online resources and services.
5. Enhance access to library services and resources in Canvas.
On-campus Services
1. Allow textbooks on reserve to be taken out of library for in-class use (no more in-library use only)
2. Provide mobile technology charging stations
3. Assess what technology is being used, to drive acquisition decisions
4. Provide more modular and mobile furniture
5. Provide free printing to all students, or at least a small balance initially
Collaboration with Other Depts
1. Learn proactively about other departmental initiatives by arranging “Get to Know” meetings.
2. Designate each librarian with duties as a liaison or point person for outreach to specific faculty and departments.
Personnel Development
1. Assess if we have adequate and diverse staff to meet needs and measure gaps in coverage
2. Strive to better align staff duties/positions to both employee interests and student needs
3. Encourage professional development through incentives, collaborative opportunities, and formalized cross-training
4. Assess if staff feel included and empowered in decision-making
Information Literacy (IL) Instruction
1. Develop and integrate IL pre-tests/post-tests into courses and sessions, mapped to the ACRL Framework for IL and IL objectives.
2. Develop a shared repository of instructional lesson plans, presentations, handouts, etc.
3. Develop an information literacy-focused marketing and outreach plan, with a specific emphasis on reaching students through the college’s learning management system (Canvas).
4. Establish an IL teaching intensive program. This program would focus on active learning and incorporation of IL principles by discipline faculty over a long term (modeled on the Reading Apprenticeship program from the Read to Succeed QEP).
5. Utilize the college’s new student success management system (Navigate) to demonstrate the impact of information literacy instruction on student success.
In February and March 2021 a group of library faculty and staff met to reflect on the Wow Ideas and propose a new Mission Statement and Vision Statement for the College Libraries. The group was divided into two subgroups to draft statements, which were then vetted by the whole group and shared with all library faculty and staff for input. This group also recommended changes to the Strategic Areas.
From April to June 2021 all library faculty and staff who had not participated in drafting Mission/Vision Statements met to develop specific actions, outcomes, and assessments mapped to the five Strategic Areas.
In June 2021 Library Director Morgan Tracy recommended an alignment of the actions, outcomes, and assessments to the goals identified in the college's Flight Plan 2025 document.