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Library Mission and Goals - FY 2011

Dartmouth College Library Mission Statement

The Dartmouth College Library fosters intellectual growth and advances the mission of Dartmouth College and affiliated communities by supporting excellence and innovation in education and research, managing and delivering information, and partnering to develop and disseminate new scholarship.

FY11 Broad Goals

Goal 1: Develop a culture of continuous improvement through ongoing assessment of Library activities and programs.

Goal 2: Provide environments that advance research and education.

Goal 3: Recruit, develop, and retain exceptional staff committed to our service culture and philosophy.

Goal 4: Develop information resources and services that support research and education at Dartmouth.

Goal 5: Build collaborations to support faculty and graduate and undergraduate student scholarly publishing.

Goal 6: Teach members of the Dartmouth community to be effective users and producers of information to meet their current academic needs and prepare them for a lifetime of learning and of responsible leadership.

Goal 7: Provide leadership and support for College initiatives and priorities.

Goal 8: Effectively market the Library‟s information resources and services to all the Library‟s communities.

FY11 Goals and Objectives

Goal 1. Develop a culture of continuous improvement through ongoing assessment of Library activities and programs

  • 1a. By December 2010, charge an LMG working group to review the Provost‟s Library External Review by June 2011 and assess its recommendations in light of the current fiscal situation. The working group will develop for LMG approval a written timeline and strategies to prioritize implementation of the review's remaining recommendations.
  • 1b. In FY10 and FY11, each department and committee will assess at least one aspect of its programs and activities to measure impact on users as defined by the Library‟s goals, and in light of the assessment results, determine whether the activity/program should continue as is, be refined, or be discontinued.
  • 1c. By the end of FY11, LMG will engage a speaker from the business domain (eg from Tuck Business School) to give a talk providing an overview of key concepts in market research (including understanding user needs and behaviors, product development strategies, and advertising strategies) as these relate to non-profit, service organizations and to the higher education setting. The audience for this speaker will include LMG and the Marketing & Communications Committee, and others if considered useful.
  • 1d. LMG will develop a brief bibliography of selected readings on topics in market research, product development, and marketing & advertising for the benefit of Library staff.

Goal 2. Provide digital and physical environments that advance research and education

  • 2a. Continue to follow-up with College Facilities regarding Rauner security with the goal of completing the required changes by the end of FY11 to address the security concerns raised in the Rauner Security Audit.
  • 2b. Once the College Safety and Security report on Baker-Berry nighttime closing procedures is received, review the report, create a list of next steps for improving security, and decide on the next Baker-Berry audit to request from S&S by the end of FY11.
  • 2c. Utilizing the computer inventory maintained by TeCor and FY11 operating budget data as they become more definite, identify a reasonable replacement cycle for desktop equipment and systems by the end of FY11 in order to support staff efficiency. The strategy should recommend routine and prioritized replacements that can be responsive to the changing fiscal environment.
  • 2d. In order to fully implement the Library departmental emergency/business continuity plans developed in FY09 and refined in FY10, continue to develop staff emergency response skills by utilizing tabletop exercises and scenario planning during FY11 and FY12.
  • 2e. During FY11, define program needs for a proposed Performing Arts Library, and explore space options to become available in the Hopkins Center for the Performing Arts.
  • 2f. In FY11, participate in planning for renovation of the Dana and Gilman buildings to house the Biomedical Libraries and The Dartmouth Center.
  • 2g. As the learning spaces report begins to be implemented, E & O will consult on the physical and technological aspects of select spaces to ensure that teaching, learning are supported.
  • 2h. By the Fall 2010, Library Administrative Group will charge the Information Discovery and Access Group (IDAG) with the management and development of a wide range of discovery and access pathways, will appoint members, and will communicate to the library staff the goals of this new group.
  • 2i. In FY10, create a plan for a long-term repository architecture that will integrate local digital collections to the Library's information environment. In FY11, articulate policies and build the system. In FY12, evaluate the effectiveness of the resulting infrastructure against national best practices.

Goal 3: Recruit, develop, and retain exceptional staff committed to our service culture and philosophy

  • 3a. In order to promote the use of project management techniques for improving efficiency and productivity, and for managing projects both large and small, a periodic Project Management Roundtable for Library staff will be developed and started in FY11. Project management resources and specific examples from the roundtable discussions will be used to develop a project management resource list for the StaffWeb during FY11 and into FY12.
  • 3b. In order to better inform and retain new Library staff, during FY11 review the current orientation program and describe possible alternatives. In late FY11 and into FY12, taking successful elements of the current program and integrating new ideas, create a robust new staff orientation program.
  • 3c. In FY11, articulate and create structures for organizational change that will support staff at all levels through transition to new roles and responsibilities (including, but not limited to, changing roles for liaison librarians, development of a digital collections metadata and mark-up unit, the impact of the College strategic plan, and the rapidly changing information world). In FY12, monitor and assess staff engagement and satisfaction with new roles, the effects of shifted priorities on Library users, and the ability of organizational structures to support and enable ongoing change as the Library works towards it vision for 2016.
  • 3d. During FY11-FY12, in order to continue to develop and retain skilled and committed Library staff, explore and collect staff retention and promotion ideas and methods from other institutions for review and possible implementation, taking into consideration current College policies and procedures.

Goal 4. Develop information resources and services that support research and education at Dartmouth

  • 4a. During FY10-11, create a robust and adaptable digital production process for local collections that includes selection and production policies and a prioritization process to maximize the impact on education and scholarship. Simultaneously, create a collaborative and cooperative staffing structure to support the process and build digital collections. In FY12, evaluate the impact and use of the resulting digital collections.
  • 4b. Develop and articulate a flexible structure for information resource cost-sharing to be rolled out by December 2010.
  • 4c. In FY11, support expanded collaborative collection development with BorrowDirect partners in areas including music, nanotechnology, environmental studies, North American local history, and literary small press publications. Review collection development and management policies to ensure that priority is given to selecting and managing the resources that the Library, through such agreements, is responsible for collecting. Extend priority processing and selection for digitization to uniquely held materials as well, in order to share digital surrogates with the Borrow Direct community.
  • 4d. In FY11, develop expanded cooperative collection development agreements to emphasize mechanisms for the discovery and sharing of locally developed digital collections in order to make these more broadly accessible.
  • 4e. By June 2010, finish staff implementation of the new Borrow Direct software; by start of Fall 2010 term release the new Borrow Direct interface to the public.
  • 4f. In order to connect users to high value, non-commercial digital collections beyond Dartmouth, including institutional and subject repositories, identify pertinent harvesting tools, such as OAIster2, and ensure that these are linked to the Library's discovery platform in FY11.
  • 4g. By Summer 2010, complete the recommendation for a replacement product or suite of products to ensure access to and protection of both College records and Archives/Manuscript holdings. By January 2011, clarify the roles of all selected products in regard to other campus document management tools (such as Documentum and SharePoint) and articulate an implementation plan. Complete initial installation and implementation by the end of FY11.
  • 4h. In FY11, create an interactive floor plan to orient users to finding materials in the various stack areas of the library, and enable them to locate specific call numbers.
  • 4i. Beginning in FY11, review and initiate changes to collections services and workflows to reflect the growing dominance of digital materials and tools in our current and future collections. In FY11, reviews of the Save the Time of the Reader recommendations, the PACC elimination goals, and paper serials maintenance procedures will be carried out with the participation of technical and user services departments. Based on these reviews, changes will be initiated to streamline processes and to redirect staff effort.

Goal 5. Build collaborations to support faculty and graduate and undergraduate student scholarly publishing

  • 5a. During FY10-13, collaborate with other campus entities to raise awareness and understanding of open knowledge and rights issues by offering up to three programs annually on one or more of these topics, so that faculty and students understand their publishing options. Survey participants after each event to determine whether they have gained any actionable knowledge and to assess their interest in further programming. In FY11, develop an assessment plan for the program that will work across the varied contexts of this program.
  • 5b. During FY 11, the Scholarly Communications Program Planning Group will develop, offer, and assess at least two workshops on publishing and scholarly communication issues for library liaisons and the Educational Technology Group from Computing Services in order to support their changing roles in the emerging collaborative Faculty Support teams.
  • 5c. During FY11, Library representatives to the Dartmouth Digital Information (D2I) committee will plan for secure, long-term, preservation-aware storage of faculty scholarly output, with controlled access to works-in-progress and open access when appropriate for "published" works. Work with other parts of the College to develop an institutional repository in order to house and make available the scholarly output of faculty.

Goal 6. Teach members of the Dartmouth community to be effective users and producers of information to meet their current academic needs and prepare them for a lifetime of learning and of responsible leadership

  • 6a. Collaborate with faculty and programs to integrate the Library into students‟ academic careers by first identifying key points in students‟ academic lifecycles, in FY11, and then devising and implementing strategic interventions at two of those points, in FY12.
  • 6b. Education & Outreach will systematize support for teaching, learning, and outreach to interdisciplinary programs. The group should conclude its work and recommendations by April 2011.
  • 6c. To improve teaching and learning, members of the Library Assessment Committee and Education & Outreach will train and encourage library teaching staff to use techniques for assessing learning. By January 2011, create a web resource describing learning assessment techniques and providing instructions on their use. In academic year 2010/2011 host workshops for library staff on using learning assessment techniques.
  • 6d. In summer and fall of FY11 Library liaisons, in cooperation with the Educational Technologies and Support team in Computing Services, will identify current areas of collaboration and propose new collaborative initiatives in research and curricular support. In Spring FY11, these groups will assess the effectiveness of the new model, and recommend areas for improvement and development. Timeline: FY11.
  • 6e. Library liaisons will identify collaborative workspaces, tools, and resources for working with the Faculty Support teams being developed in the Library and Computing Services. Timeline: end of FY11.

Goal 7. Provide leadership and support for College initiatives and priorities

  • 7a. In FY11, position the Library to support the College's priorities as articulated in its strategic planning process.
  • 7b. In FY11, define how the Library is integrated in and supports the research and education programs of the developing Dartmouth Center for Health Care Delivery Science.
  • 7c. Continue efforts in FY11 with Dartmouth's senior leadership, including the Advancement Office, Provost, and President, to support the Library's external funding prospects and opportunities.
  • 7d. As part of the Library's ongoing development efforts, build an infrastructure to support grant writing and grant work in the Library by completing the CLIR "Hidden Collections" grant application, "Rural Medical Practice an Education: 1780-2000," and, if successful, initiating grant work in February 2011.
  • 7e. Complete planning for a grant application to digitize resources related to the search for the North-west Passage. By Spring 2011, scope the project, identify potential funding agencies, and begin process of grant writing.
  • 7f. By Winter 2011, migrate Library personnel to Microsoft Online Services. Assess the migration process in a timely manner to refine it for other administrative areas across the campus. In FY12 assess new opportunities for the library to meld service offerings through the new communications infrastructure.
  • 7g. In FY11, participate with D2I in the development and implementation of an overall digital information strategy for Dartmouth College. Specifically, help to refine and implement a governance structure and document management plan for the institution.
  • 7h. FY11 and ongoing – track campus identity management initiative and relevant industry/professional progress with customized information portals with an eye to spotting the appropriate opportunity to link the two at Dartmouth.

Goal 8. Effectively market the Library's information resources and services to all the Library's communities

  • 8a. Ensure the library is connected with faculty processes such as working with faculty recruitment and orientation processes, grant proposals, curricular development, and preparation for the tenure process to provide collections and service availability. In FY11, document the academic and administrative lifecycle of a faculty member at Dartmouth, and identify what the Library currently does to intersect with important points in this lifecycle. In FY12, assess the impact of current activities; based on this review, identify points and processes where we miss opportunities to connect with faculty, and prioritize two of them to better integrate the Library into that point.
  • 8b. In order to build recognition and use of the Library's services, in FY11 identify one library service and a target community to develop as a pilot marketing project. Using market research practices and principles of effective marketing, develop and launch an innovative way to present and deliver that service. In FY12 assess the effectiveness of this marketing project.
  • 8c. In FY11, roll out the new library logo and slogan „Inspiring Ideas‟ in conjunction with the First-year open house and integrate it into the library website and brochures.
  • 8d. To continue to build our identity as a hub of intellectual and scholarly life on campus, in FY11 the Library will identify and offer three academically oriented events [lectures, poster sessions, performances, etc] and market them to the campus.

Library Mission & Goals - Prior Years