Vision, Mission, & Action Agenda

Vision Statement

The Library is a vibrant and vital center for learning, inspiring both intellectual pursuits and community engagement.

Mission

The Library advances the University's mission to educate engaged and accomplished citizens through our dynamic services and unique, extensive collections. Our community-focused staff are integral partners in creating and cultivating physical and virtual learning environments for open inquiry and academic excellence.

Action Agenda 2012-13

  1. Proactively seek out partners to increase the number of Library-sponsored learning opportunities that we offer, such as partnering with the Political Science department and Media Services for a series of election-related events during fall quarter 2012. Make recordings of our events available via our website and iTunesU.
  2. Begin the evaluation process for a next-generation library system; produce a report by January 2013 for library administrators that recommends a course of action.
  3. Prepare a proposal and a draft plan for implementation of an institutional repository at SCU and present it to the Provost's Office.
  4. Begin planning to partner with the Research and Faculty Affairs office and the Faculty Development Program to address scholarly communication issues such as author rights and open access models.
  5. Hire a project archivist to process and catalog the rich, historical Mission Santa Clara collection, beginning with the manuscripts.

Goals

The University Library's goals are to:

  1. Provide consistently high quality and timely service in support of the University's Vision, Mission, Strategic Priorities and Goals.
  2. Develop, maintain, and provide easy access to a wide range of balanced information resources that foster academic excellence; promote critical analysis of various viewpoints; integrate rigorous inquiry and scholarship, creative imagination, and reflective engagement with society; and support the University's commitments to inclusive excellence and to fashioning a more humane, just, and sustainable world.
  3. Provide instruction in library and information literacy skills aimed at developing an individual's ability to select, evaluate, and use information resources now and in the future.
  4. Provide training in the use of information resources and technology to enhance teaching, learning, and scholarship and to improve productivity and service quality.
  5. Use technology to improve the delivery of programs, resources, and services.
  6. Engage SCU faculty, students, staff, alumni, and the larger Silicon Valley community in programs that enhance the co-curricular life of the University and build long-term support for the Library.
  7. Recruit, develop, retain, and reward an excellent, creative, and diverse staff, with a variety of academic backgrounds, experience, and training, who are committed to continued growth and learning, and supportive of innovation in a changing information environment.
  8. Mentor and prepare the Library's student employees for their eventual careers in the workforce of Silicon Valley and beyond.
  9. Allocate resources in accordance with strategic priorities; evaluate and assess programs, resources, and services on a regular basis, using the evaluation as a basis for continuous improvement; strive for responsible decision making, and fiscal responsibility at every level.
  10. Provide facilities that promote effective study and research; ensure appropriate storage, maintenance, and preservation of information resources; enhance Library and other Information Services' staff productivity and collaboration; and serve as a community gathering place for the exchange of ideas.

Working Draft June 8, 2011