University library Strategic Plan 2013/14 - 2017/18

The library's Strategic Plan has been produced in order to guide its development in line with the University's Vision 2021. It identifies the library's purpose and values, and draws together the strategic priorities which respond to the institutional, information and technological environments.

Strategic objectives for the library have been formulated to align with the key themes of Learning and Teaching, Research and Innovation, and Engagement. The objectives are underpinned by a number of enabling activities which will ensure that the library can deliver the Strategy effectively.

The library's purpose and values

Purpose of the University library

The library supports the University's learning and teaching, research, innovation and engagement by providing resources, high quality services and professional expertise to enable the effective discovery and use of information, and the development and communication of knowledge.

The library's values

In defining its purpose and fulfilling its objectives, the library aims to be:

  • Responsive to its users in the provision of high-quality personalised services
  • Committed to the support of learning and the wider student experience
  • Innovative in responding to and shaping the changing information environment
  • Trustworthy and respected by its customers and stakeholders
  • Self-aware and reflective, seeking continually to improve its performance and sustainability
  • Committed to the promotion of accessibility, equality and diversity
  • Enthusiastic in promoting and sustaining the wider interests of the University
  • Positive about collaboration and partnership with other service providers and organisations

Operating principles: the library's success factors for customer service excellence

  • Embracing change - recognising the need for change and continually looking forward
  • Delivering services - working towards achieving excellent service delivery through understanding, meeting and exceeding the expectations of users
  • Team working - embracing collaborative working and viewing teamwork as essential and positive
  • Developing talent - grasping opportunities to develop responsibilities and expertise through learning and development
  • Communication - recognising the importance of excellent communication and encouraging others to do so
  • Projecting confidence - projecting a positive attitude through confidence and enthusiasm; celebrating success and sharing praise

The institutional planning context

A central feature of the University's mission in Vision 2021 is to be a civic university with a global reputation for academic excellence, with the pursuit of knowledge and understanding as one of its primary values. The success of the University depends on information resources, services and technologies to support the core functions of Learning, Teaching and the Student Experience, Research and Innovation, and Engagement and Internationalisation. The library has an important role to play in supporting the full range of these institutional strategies.

The Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Strategy emphasises the importance of providing access to environments within which effective learning can take place. This requires continuous improvements to be made to the quality of physical and virtual information environments, along with the range and accessibility of information resources and services. In its commitment to deliver teaching and facilitate applied learning of the highest standard, the Strategy specifically prioritises the development and embedding of e-learning technologies, which will provide an opportunity and a need to link the library's resources seamlessly into the emerging Digital Campus. The library will continue to make a vital contribution to the student experience by developing the digital library and improving access to a range of facilities and resources.

The Research and Innovation Strategy identifies the importance of the research environment and facilities, which will involve not only the provision of appropriate information resources, but also the development of new services, including large-scale data storage, management and preservation. The library continues to be involved in the development of MyImpact, ensuring its effective contribution to preparations for the REF. The need for researchers to make their research outputs available on open access, in response to the requirements of the research and funding councils, will involve the library working with the faculties and other services to develop university policy in this area, and to support open access publication services.

In supporting the Internationalisation and engagement strategies, the library will assist in the development of services for students and researchers overseas as well as providing resources and services for internationalisation at home. It will also make a direct contribution to a number of specific projects and activities, in support of engagement through initiatives focused on widening participation and links with local school, and the development of partnerships with local cultural organisations.

The internal context

Significant issues within the University which will guide the direction of the library and its services during the planning period include the following:

  • Strategic positioning in relation to the new fees arrangements
  • Recruitment and reputation building as key indicators and drivers of success
  • Ambitions to increase numbers of international students, and shifts in the balance of provision for taught postgraduate students
  • Focus on widening participation, and developing interest in transition issues, both into University and between stages of study
  • Commitment to the development of skills to enhance employability as an essential part of the student experience
  • Development and maintenance of relationships with the alumni community
  • Challenging targets for NSS results at the school level, with library services featuring as a high-profile component of the KIS
  • The Digital Campus programme, and the transition to NU-IT
  • Increased concentration of student accommodation on or near the campus, bringing increased footfall and 24 hour living closer to the libraries
  • The prospects for the Science Central site, and implications for the delivery of information services to “remote” locations
  • Internationalisation and the development of collaborative arrangements and partnerships, with the prospect of a third large outpost overseas
  • Developments in NUIS, including new courses, additional numbers of students, and the development of postgraduate courses, research activity, business partnerships and CPD support
  • The consolidation and development of the NUMed campus, with the on-site delivery of library and information services
  • The impact of Societal Challenge Themes, and the potential requirement for supporting information resources and services
  • Preparation for the REF and the further development of MyImpact beyond 2013
  • The development of strategies for publication of research outputs at the faculty, school and institute level
  • The development of university policy on the management and preservation of research data, and the need to deal effectively with data curation and metadata
  • Financial resource allocations and the influence of cost drivers
  • Focus on business process improvement, efficiency and value for money
  • The need to develop further management competencies at all levels
  • Digital literacy in the context of the Digital Campus

The external context

Major issues in the external environment which will impact on the Library include:

  • The effects of the post-2012 student funding regime, and changes to allocation of student numbers on recruitment, subject mix, etc
  • VAT rules continuing to impact on cost of migration to electronic information resources
  • The agenda for shared services and collaboration in public services
  • The implications of the REF for investment and organisation of research at the institutional level
  • The Finch report and the implications of research and funding councils' requirements for open access (OA) publication
  • Academic publishing companies attempting to grow their markets and protect their profit margins in the face of OA
  • Rapid developments in e-book technology and increasing availability of digital book content
  • New business models for information products, with opportunities for more flexible purchase and leasing options
  • Increasing availability and use of mobile electronic devices, giving new opportunities for delivery of information and deployment of learning tools
  • Large-scale resource discovery platforms becoming more available and increasingly affordable
  • The development of cloud computing and software as a service, with opportunities for more cost effective library management systems
  • Increased availability of open research datasets leading to potential opportunities and challenges for linked data and the sharing of information
  • Development of elearning and new models online course delivery
  • Developments in pedagogy and learning styles, which will impact on utilisation of learning spaces, and the provision of learner support (information literacy, writing skills, etc)
  • Increasing customer expectation will produce a greater demand for the personalisation of services
  • Developments in copyright legislation and licensing on a European and transnational basis

Strategic priorities

The library's strategic priorities for the next five years are focused on six areas of activity:

  • SP1 Developing the Virtual Library, fully exploiting the potential of digital information resources and digital tools to support learning and research.
  • SP2 Providing services to enhance the student experience through improved engagement, and supporting excellent customer services with the potential provided by new technologies.
  • SP3 Supporting the University's research by collaborating with faculties, schools, institutes and other professional services on the development of publication strategies, facilitating open access publication and developing digital curation services.
  • SP4 Exploiting our cultural assets by developing special collections and archives, ensuring that they are fully utilised to the benefit of research, recruitment and the wider community.
  • SP5 Supporting the University's Internationalisation Strategy, providing and coordinating services for courses delivered overseas and for international students in the UK.
  • SP6 Promoting and developing information and digital literacies for students and researchers as key skills for future employability.

Strategic objectives

Supporting learning, teaching and the student experience
No. Objective Actions
SO1

To improve the quality and range of learning resources, in digital and print form

  • Increase the availability of e-book content, evaluating and consolidating the use of demand-led subscription based e-book services (2013-15)
  • Refine and promote the “Books on Time” service to improve responsiveness to demand for core texts and student requests (2013-15)
  • Target areas of weakness in provision of resources, responding particularly to new areas of teaching (2013-15)
  • Migrate systematically from print to electronic provision of high-demand texts (2013-16)
SO2

To develop new tools for the organisation, discovery and use of learning materials
  • Develop and enhance Library Search as the primary point of access for library managed content (2013-14)
  • Make available applications for mobile devices to enable effective access and use of learning resources (2013-15)
  • Ensure the effective integration of library services with the development of the VLEs and other services in the Digital Campus (2013-16)
SO3

To provide new learning environments and facilities

  • Improve provision for consultation of special collections and archives (2013-14)
  • Review and remodel social learning spaces in the Robinson Library (2013-15)
  • Develop a programme of refurbishment for the Law Library to improve the study environment (2013-15)
  • Contribute to the development and renewal of learning spaces and postgraduate study facilities across the campus in association with ISS, ESS,  Students Union and other partners (2013-15)
SO4

To improve access to resources and services

  • Review and further enhance library opening hours, focusing on vacation periods, ensuring value for money by utilising minimal staffing levels and self-service operations (2013-15)
  • Develop the provision of “roving” support services to improve access to personal support for students (2013-15)
  • Deliver services via mobile devices to enhance communications, marketing and access to enquiry services (2013-15)
  • Develop 24/7 information and enquiry services through collaboration and the application of new technologies (2013-15)
SO5

To support the development of key skills for employability

  • Embed effective and sustainable support for information and digital literacy into academic programmes (2013-16)
  • Exploit online training and tutorial systems  to enhance provision on campus and support students at a distance (2013-15)
  • Develop new approaches to the delivery of information literacy to ensure sustainable levels of staff input (2013-15)
  • Maintain the support for academic writing skills provided by the Writing Development Centre (2013-15)
  • Provide opportunities for work experience for students through employment, placements, bursaries (2013-17)
SO6

To contribute to academic planning and curriculum development

  • Review the  roles and skills sets of the library liaison and support staff to enhance their ability to contribute as part of the academic learning team (2013-15)
  • Engage effectively with Schools to contribute to new methods of curriculum delivery, particularly with regard to information and digital skills (2013-16)
Supporting research
No. Objective Actions
SO7

To develop high quality collections of information resources for research

  • Acquire and provide access to new digital resources for research as far as funding permits (2013-18)
  • Pursue opportunities for collaborative collection management with RLUK and other partners (2013-18)
  • Seek to influence and gain benefit from new business models for research journal subscriptions (2013-18)
  • Participate in the UK Research Reserve (UKRR) shared services project to contribute to the development of a distributed national research collection (2013-15)
  • Seek to secure long-term access to digital resources through national and international partnerships (2013-18)
SO8

To support research activity and ensure effective collection development for current and future research needs
  • Build capacity in the library liaison teams to ensure senior liaison librarians can focus on research support (2013-15)
  • Engage more effectively with Research Centres and Institutes, and embed library liaison staff in research activity (2013-18)
  • Develop services to support research on overseas campuses, while ensuring value-for-money (2013-18)
SO9

To provide services to enable researchers to discover, access and use information effectively

  • Make available new digital tools to support the effective discovery and management of information resources (2013-15)
  • Enhance desktop delivery services of material from the libraries and stores to researchers and other users (2013-15)
  • Contribute to research training programmes, and develop information support for researchers in the UK and overseas (2013-16)
SO10

To facilitate dissemination of the University's research outputs

  • Work with the Research Office to ensure that MyImpact effectively supports preparation for the REF (2013-14)
  • Support the development of the University's policy on Open Access, and contribute to the management of OA services (2013-15)
  • Review responsibility and plan future direction of the eprints repository in view of developments in Open Access (2013-15)
  • Support Faculty research groups in the refinement of their publication strategies in preparation for REF 2020 (2013-18)
  • Consolidate the e-theses repository as a sustainable service, with links to external discovery tools (e.g. EThOS, DART-Europe) (2013-14)
SO11

To support the effective management of research data

  • Collaborate with the University Research Office, ISS and other partners in the Iridium project to develop institutional data management policy and services (2013-14)
  • Develop metadata services for data repositories to support dissemination and reuse (2014-16)
SO12

To contribute to the development of the research environment

  • Review and enhance space for research in the Robinson Library within a broader programme of study space development (2013-14)
  • Develop awareness and accessibility of research facilities at the Team Valley Research Repository (2013-14)
SO13

To develop and promote special collections and archive collections
  • Actively seek to develop collections in areas of strength: children's literature, literary manuscripts, public health, local history and politics  (2013-18)
  • Seek donations and external funding opportunities to acquire, catalogue and conserve new research collections (2013-18)
  • Develop and implement digitisation and publication strategies to preserve and make accessible existing and new collections (2013-14)
  • Refine cataloguing and preservation priorities to reflect the needs and interests of the University teaching and research communities (2013-14)
  • Work with partner groups and organisations (including Seven Stories and the National Trust) to develop awareness and promote the use of special collections and archives (2013-17)
Supporting engagement and internationalisation
No. Objective Actions
SO14

To support internationalisation
  • Work closely with schools offering high demand courses, to ensure that the expectations of international students are managed and met (2013-15)
  • Focus collection development on providing resources to support the internationalisation of the curriculum (e.g. Asia-Pacific studies) (2013-16)
  • Contribute to the development of library/IT services and learning and teaching support for the NUMed campus (2013-15)
  • Support international collaborative initiatives and programme developments (e.g. Singapore and other areas) to ensure effective provision of library and information services (2013-15)
SO15

To support the University's relationships with external partners
  • Support Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children's Books, in the development programme for their facilities and access to collections (2013-15)
  • Develop protocols for the provision of resources and services to external users and groups, including schools, colleges and businesses (2013-15)
  • Work with colleagues in DARO to provide access to appropriate resources for the alumni community (2013-14)
  • Support the ongoing cataloguing of the Great North Museum Library collections (2013-14)
SO16

To provide facilities  for visitors and external groups
  • Provide support and facilities for events and  involving partner organisations (2013-16)
  • Enhance exhibition space for special collections, archives and other collections of interest (2013-6)
SO17

To engage with local schools, colleges and educational partners

  • Develop access to the Library and its collections by school students, contributing particularly to widening participation programmes (2013-15)
  • Support the development of information skills in schools, working with teachers and pupils on programmes such the Extended Project Qualification (2013-15)
  • Collaborate with academic colleagues and other services to identify and pursue projects supporting transition from school to university (2013-15)
SO18

To provide services for the University's partners in the NHS

  • Review and develop contracted services to the NHS in the context of health service reform and changes to governance arrangements for health services in the region (2013-4)