Library strategy, 2011/12-2013/14

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Mission

The University of Leicester Library enriches the intellectual and creative life of our communities by facilitating information discovery and the creation and dissemination of research.

Vision

• The University Library is an integral part of the educational process, contributing to excellent levels of teaching and student experience. High level support and access for all students, including part-time and distance learning students is critical to delivering our mission.
• At the heart of a leading research-intensive UK university, the University of Leicester Library provides exceptional research support to its own community of researchers and beyond, and is a recognized a partner in the UK's research library network.
• The University Library is a blended library, offering digital and print resources, with virtual, mobile and face-to-face services, to support multiple approaches to research, teaching and learning.
• The David Wilson Library is a distinctive, welcoming space for study with state-of-the-art facilities, and a venue for educational and cultural events

Values

We believe in:

• Offering a user-centred library service, designed in collaboration with our communities
• Building our collections to support the University's research, learning and teaching
• Adopting high standards of stewardship of the collections
• The innovative use of information technology to deliver our mission
• Promoting information literacy within the curriculum
• Commitment to continuous learning as an organisation, and to the personal development of staff
• Working in collaboration and partnership within and beyond the University to provide benefit to our users
• Entrepreneurship and efficient management of resources to ensure value for money, accountability and impact our services

Context

Our ambitions for the next three years are challenging and we face a turbulent environment, not just within higher education, but also within the system of scholarly communication. The following challenges and trends have shaped the strategy’s development:

• The expectations of our users and the demands for accountability will continue to increase.
• Demand for library space will continue to grow.
• Digital scholarship and e-science, along with social networking technologies will mean scholarly communication and publishing continues to evolve, with potential new roles for the Library, for example digital curation.
• eBooks may have become  the format of choice, as ejournals are for journal publications, by the end of 2014
• Mobile devices will become ubiquitous, and new services will need to be developed.
• The Library’s virtual presence will need to expand to become more vibrant and interactive
• Technology developments such as cloud computing, open source Library management systems will become an increasingly realistic options, and shared services such as JISC’s KnowledegeBase + will have matured
  

1. To achieve our vision we will satisfy the information needs of our diverse community by:

1. Offering high quality services which are inclusive, flexible, easy to use and which encourage independence
2. Providing expert assistance to ensure that users are able to exploit fully the collections, services and facilities
3. Providing an inspirational, technology-rich and flexible study environment, with extensive opening hours
4. Offering innovative search and navigation tools, including mobile access for the expanding range of relevant electronic information resources
5. Participating in regional, national and international initiatives to provide benefit to our users and to influence the development of scholarly communication
6. Engaging in reciprocal schemes to provide access to other libraries
7. Providing expert guidance and leading policy on copyright/IPR issues
8. Embracing innovation and the continuous review and improvement of our services
9. Marketing the Library effectively
10. Contributing to the University's public engagement strategy
11. Developing the skills and expertise of our staff to match the needs of working in a 21st century research library
12. Managing the Library's physical, financial and staff resources cost effectively to ensure value

2. To achieve our vision we will support research by:

1. Building research level collections in key subject areas, supplemented by document supply services, to the desktop wherever possible
2. Promoting our distinctive collection of rare books and archives as sources for primary research
3. Promoting and disseminating the University's research output, building on Leicester Research Archive
4. Offering high level information-related training, integrated within research training programmes where appropriate
5. Offering tailored information services to researchers and research groups, assisting them in keep up-to date with the literature and supporting them in their utilisation of social media tools for collaboration and dissemination.
6. Raising awareness and advising on developments in scholarly communication and open access publishing
7. Supporting researchers and the University’s Research Strategy by providing expertise in bibliometrics
8. Contributing to the University’s strategy on research data management and building the Library’s expertise in this area, including digital curation.
9. Developing our services to help researchers design, produce, disseminate and maintain digital projects, including the selective digitization of the University’s rare collections and archives.
10. Engaging in funded projects in the Library's areas of expertise

3. To achieve our vision we will support all modes of learning and teaching by:

1. Enabling access to sufficient reading list material, including core print and digital texts in a timely and efficient manner
2. Providing a wide range of resources in the University's teaching areas, to encourage breadth of reading and intellectual curiosity
3. Collaborating with academic staff to develop students' information skills, integrated and assessed within the curriculum, and in a way that is sensitive to the needs of the discipline and to varied learning styles
4. Engaging with the University's Learning and Teaching Strategy and Strategy for Learning Innovation as partners in curriculum development, including harnessing e-learning technologies effectively
5. Engaging with the University's widening participation and employer engagement agendas

This document builds on the Library's previous strategy, and provides a three year framework for development. The strategy has been developed to support and complement the University's Strategic Vision and underpinning strategies, including the University Library’s Collection Development Policy. It has also been informed by feedback from colleagues and students. The strategy will guide the Library's annual operational Action Plan.

The achievement of our overall vision for the University Library will be monitored annually through

• reporting on our Key Performance Indicators, 
• our rankings in recognised surveys, including student satisfaction
  our financial performance
• developments within the University Library, against our Annual Action Plan
• external awards  and accreditation