This paper will discuss how the development of a new, ambitious ‘UCD Library Strategic Plan 2021-2025: The Library of the Future’ was carried out in a way that embeds future sustainability in all our services and facilities.
The starting point for the library’s strategic plan was UCD’s Strategy 2020-2024: ‘Rising to the Future’ which articulates a vision of a university with ambitions to grow its student population while also placing sustainability at its core, striving to ‘create a sustainable global society’. This placed an initial emphasis on developing a Library strategy that was future focused and centered on sustainability; economically, environmentally and socially.
Alongside this, development of the library’s strategy occurred during a time of significant challenges. These were multifactorial and included a shift in institutional priorities following the pandemic, and an unprecedented level of change in library and university leadership. This paper will outline how addressing these challenges further highlighted the need to embed a sustainable approach to delivering our new strategy.
This presentation will provide insight into how this strategic plan was developed with a focus on the library’s role in advancing a sustainable university. Furthermore, it will outline how sustainability was not viewed as a standalone strategic goal but, was fully embedded into each pillar laid out in the new strategy. This enabled us to consider sustainability in several different ways:
-The environmental impact of library spaces and services
-Management of library collections in the context of open research and global scholarship
-How we can support the development of critical literacies in our students and staff
-Enabling the capacity of library staff to support new and emerging roles and services
This paper will conclude by reflecting on how embedding sustainability into strategic planning can enable flexibility and adaptability when faced with unprecedented and significant challenges and change.
4. Changes in Institutional Context
Growth in Student Numbers
Return to Campus
Digital Transformation
Student Experience
5.
6. Shared vision and
goals for the next
five years
Engagement with
all Library staff
Understanding user
needs
Inform staff
development needs
Align with
University Priorities
Opportunity to
better position the
Library
Why develop a
new strategy in
the midst of so
much
uncertainty?
7. Focus on the Library’s role in
advancing a sustainable
university……
Sustainability is not viewed as a
standalone strategic goal but, is
fully embedded into the new
strategy
8.
9. How can we embed a
sustainable approach to
delivering our strategy?
10. Considers the environmental impact of library spaces and
services
Enables the management of library collections in the context
of open research and global scholarship
Supports the development of critical literacies in our
students and staff
Enables the capacity of library staff to support new and
emerging roles and services
Develop a strategy that…
12. Understand our environmental contexts
Address users' needs
Buy-in from stakeholders
Better understand ‘opportunities & threats’
Support engagement in implementation
Why this approach?
13. Strengths Weaknesses
1. Staff
2. Campus partnerships/ reputation as a collaborator
3. Strong customer centric focus
4. User focus
5. Locations on campus
6. Collections
7. Support institutional memory & raise awareness of UCDs own
Heritage
1. Skills
2. Poorly designed space, reliance on out-of-date technology
3. User Experience in design or development of services
4. Over-reliance on individual expertise
5. We are not using data to inform decision making
6. External collaboration/ promotion outside UCD
7. Behind curve on technology enabled services
8. Digital storage – skills & infrastructure
9. ‘Big Picture’ clearly defined particularly in relation to finance &
this impacts on decision making
Opportunities Threats
1. Digital transformation
2. Leveraging our expertise and reputation to maintain position
against competing institutions
3. Capacity to have technology embedded into our strategic
planning to move us towards ‘Library of the Future’
4. €20M
5. Community Engagement
6. New ways of interrogating digital collections
7. Priority/ importance of digital literacies/ fluency skills and
capturing and recording ‘the record’
8. Powerful external drivers in the research environment that we
can use to position our services and value e.g. funder
requirements
1. Brexit
2. Growth of ‘other’ unsupported learning spaces on campus
3. Funding to support new initiatives and vulnerability to budget
cuts
4. Lack of buy-in among decision makers regarding the broader
aims & purpose of library
5. Lack of digital/ information skills
6. Other UCD units moving into some of our traditional areas –
need to collaborate rather than be replaced
7. Lack of capacity for preservation/ conservation of collections
14. Where do our opportunities overlap?
How does UCD Library contribute to achieving these
objectives?
Are there any opportunities or threats that are not reflected in
the UCD strategic objectives?
How do these objectives help the Library achieve its vision?
What themes are emerging?
UCD Core Objectives
SWOT UCD Core Objectives
15. SWOT UCD Core Objectives Statements of Intent Stakeholders
Community Engagement
Global Scholarship & Impact
Digital Literacies
Enhancing the Learning Experience
16. Library viewed positively
Access to space and material a key issue
Broad support for leading on digital literacy
Tension between being more ambitious and taking care
of the basics
Calls for more services in emerging areas e.g. OA and
data management
Need to do better on access and inclusion
17. The Library of the Future:
Connected to and part of a global information infrastructure.
Connecting communities by providing an inspiring and inclusive
environment for learning, collaborating and knowledge creation.
Engaged as partners in education and research.
Engaging as leaders in library service development and the curation and
preservation of our shared heritage
SWOT
UCD Core
Objectives
Statements of
Intent
Stakeholders Vision
18. To be a leader in enriching the student
experience, to empower global
engagement, and to act as an intellectual
centre for the UCD community.
Our Mission
SWOT
UCD Core
Objectives
Statements
of Intent
Stakeholders Vision Mission
20. Taking a leadership role on campus, nationally and
internationally
Playing a key role in students’ learning experience
Being an inclusive space and service for all
Enabling digital transformation through digital literacy
Advancing open research in a sustainable way
5 key themes
21. Empowering
Humanity
Building a
Healthy World
Transforming
through Digital
Technology
Creating a
Sustainable
Global Society
Leading,
engaging &
partnering
with
communities
Enhancing the
Learning
Experience &
Empowering
Students
Creating an
inclusive Library
for all
Fostering Critical
Digital Literacies
Advancing Open
Research &
Global Digital
Scholarship
Library Pillars
SWOT
UCD Core
Objectives
Statements
of Intent
Stakeholders Vision Mission UCD Values
Library
Values
UCD Themes
Library
Pillars
22. Leading,
Engaging &
Partnering with
communities
Leading within the wider library
professional community in
Ireland, Europe and beyond
Deepening our outreach and
increase the visibility and
relevance of the Library as a
community hub by partnering
with students and members of
our broader community
Acting locally, nationally &
internationally for sustainable
access to information, open
access and open education
resources
Investing in joint initiatives
to increase open, equitable
and inclusive global access to
research and scholarly
material
Developing the library as a
democratic space for
inspiration and expression
at the heart of the campus
& Irish society
Growing and recruiting staff
expertise and competencies
commensurate with our
ambition to play a leadership
role in relevant areas of
interest on campus and
within national and
international higher
education and library
communities.
Enhancing the
Learning
Experience &
Empowering
Students
Reimaging Library spaces, using
best practice, to reflect the
diverse needs of the communities
we serve and to evolve as a space
for inspiration and learning
Developing a programme of
User Experience research to
inform the design of library
services, facilities and resources
to meet the requirements of a
growing community with
evolving needs.
Establishing the library as a
learning commons, partnering
with colleagues across the
university to deliver accessible
and connected learning
resources and supports, where
and when they are needed,
both physically and online.
Harnessing the potential of
technology to engage users,
improve services, and create
greater access to library
spaces, collections and
services.
Working in partnership
with academic and
professional colleagues to
support awareness, use,
development and curation
of Open Education
Resources (OER)
Leveraging our heritage
collections as teaching and
learning resources in formal
and informal settings
Creating an
Inclusive Library
for all
Making our online and physical
spaces and collections as
accessible and open as possible
Engaging with colleagues
through the ‘University for
All’ to develop policies and
procedures that are inclusive.
Supporting library staff in
developing knowledge and skills
so that excellence equality,
diversity & inclusion practices
are embedded into all library
services & interactions
Embedding EDI principles
into collection development,
description and curation to
lay the foundations for
equal, diverse and inclusive
collections which are
representative of the entire
community that we serve
now and, in the future, and
to support EDI campus
objectives.
Fostering Critical
Digital Literacies
Leading on the promotion and
development of critical digital
literacies across the University in
support of its digital
transformation agenda
Understanding and defining
digital literacy and competency
needs across the university in
personal, professional &
academic contexts through
engagement with students,
academics and professional
colleagues
Developing a Digital Literacy
Framework to inform & guide
the development of services &
resources
Providing a range of online
and face to face resources
that give staff & students the
opportunity to develop and
enhance their digital literacy
skills both within and
outside the curriculum
Taking the lead on
responsible data
stewardship, promoting
and providing advice &
support for data curation
and data literacy
Creating opportunities for
staff to further develop the
digital competencies
necessary to position the
library as a leader in this
area
Engaging with
national &
international
initiatives to further
the impact of
fostering the
development of
digital literacies
Advancing Open
Research &
Global Digital
Scholarship
Acting as a global hub for
scholarship by increasing the
discoverability and availability
of our collections online,
leveraging new technologies
for knowledge discovery and
becoming a locus for expertise
Supporting researchers to make
their research output findable,
accessible, interoperable and
reusable (FAIR) through the
provision of appropriate
training, support &
infrastructure
Offering sustainable and
suitable options for all UCD
researchers to publish Open
Access
Encouraging a bottom-up
approach to the adoption of
open research practices by
delivering open research
skills & advocating for the
benefits of open research
Curating our collections
collaboratively and in a
way that builds on our
collections' distinctiveness
and strengths, reflects
UCDs research excellence,
and our role in preserving
and providing access to
our national cultural
Developing and maintaining
preservation and curation
infrastructure to ensure the
knowledge and data
produced by Irish
researchers can be accessed
now and, in the future.
23. UCD Theme Library Pillar Priority Initiative
Empowering
Humanity
Leading, Engaging &
Partnering with
communities
Leading within the wider library professional community in Ireland, Europe and beyond
Enhancing the
Learning Experience
& Empowering
Students
Reimaging Library spaces, using best practice, to reflect the diverse needs of the communities
we serve and to evolve as a space for inspiration and learning
Building a Healthy
Word
Creating an Inclusive
Library for all
Making our online and physical spaces and collections as accessible and open as possible
Transforming
through Digital
Technology
Fostering Critical
Digital Literacies
Leading on the promotion and development of critical digital literacies across the University in
support of its digital transformation agenda
Creating a
Sustainable Global
Society
Advancing Open
Research & Global
Digital Scholarship
Acting as a global hub for scholarship by increasing the discoverability and availability of our
collections online, leveraging new technologies for knowledge discovery and becoming a locus
for expertise in digital scholarship
Priority Initiatives
24.
25.
26. To embed sustainability into strategic planning to
enable flexibility and adaptability when faced
with unprecedented and significant challenges
and change…..
Our Goal….
28. A new University President
Biggest capital development
project in 50 years
A new Library Executive team
and organisational structure
29. The Library of the Future
Externally focused
Engaged with campus community
Leveraging our strengths, addressing our weakness
and harnessing opportunities
Editor's Notes
Entire strategy development took place on zoom
Interviews, staff engagement, brainstorming meetings etc
Focus on the role of the library as part of the wider university and academic community – avoid naval gazing
Sustainability runs through all strategic themes – not just ‘creating a sustainable global society’
Challenges with increasing student population and building world class amenities
In the midst of so much change and uncertainty how can we create a strategy that is sustainable across all that we do
Asked questions to develop ‘statements of intent’ to share with interviewees and stimulate conversation
Interviews – statements of intent
Students
Academic & Research Community
UCD Leadership & Community
National & International Library Community
Donors & Wider Public
Using findings from the SWOT and interviews to inform our strategic vision……
How do we address our weaknesses and potential threats?
How to leverage our strengths and potential opportunities?
Values that enable sustainability
Overlay them onto the UCD strategic themes
Pillars and initiatives that straddle all parts of the library – collaboration across library teams critical to success
Continuous connection with UCD themes and Library pillars
Mirror and reflect the Rising to the Future plan
Mirror the structure of UCD strategy – resonate for university leadership
