Purdue University Libraries

Strategic Plan 2002-2006

Introduction 

Perhaps at no time in the past has the impact of the external environment on universities and their libraries been so evident as now. The endeavors of learning and teaching, creating and disseminating scholarly knowledge, and extending services both on and off campus take place in increasingly complex times. Technology, economics, demographics, and other forces now frequently present challenges and opportunities that refuse to follow patterns that have been familiar for decades. While this kind of change understandably produces discomfort, the planning efforts of the Purdue University Libraries have helped us to focus on the needs of library users in light of the future.

The Libraries' focus on the future began with our first strategic plan, A Shared Commitment to Excellence: A Plan for the Future, 1992-1997. The value of that plan arose from the vision, mission, and actions created to guide the Libraries through the 1990's and beyond. The actions, which yielded concrete results for the Purdue University community, met user needs and changed the campus discourse regarding the Libraries. Implicit in the planning process and implementation was a significant shift in the Libraries' internal culture toward shared goals, evidenced in such initiatives as the installation of state-of-the-art library information technology and the ongoing development of an information literacy curriculum.

Subsequently, under the leadership of a group of Libraries faculty and staff (Team 2004), a new plan was developed to guide the Libraries into the twenty-first century. A thoughtful analysis of the outcomes, strengths, and weaknesses of the first plan resulted in a reaffirmation of the vision as an image of a desirable future for the Libraries and our clientele, and a recommitment to our mission. A realization also emerged that our new plan needed to better equip the Libraries to respond rapidly, and with greater flexibility, to challenges and opportunities as they arise. This sense was underscored by the insights that emerged as campus deans, the University Library Committee, and the entire Libraries staff participated in a series of environmental scans to identify changes in higher education and in information and communication technology, and to consider their impact on the Libraries. The result was Plan 2004: A Framework for Action (1999-2004), a plan with four strategic directions (The Learning Library, Scholarly Communication, User-Centered Services, and Infrastructure) and a group of outcome-oriented strategic goals for each direction.

In response to the development of the University's strategic plan for 2001-2006, the Libraries Policy and Planning Team reworked Plan 2004. The result, Plan 2006: A Framework for Action (2002-2006), includes the vision (which incorporates values and culture), mission, strategic directions and goals, as well as metrics that will allow us to assess progress on our strategic goals. Specific actions and appropriate targets for metrics will be determined in annual planning, supporting the desired ability for rapid and flexible response to the environment, and permitting the adjustment of targets based on progress achieved.

The plan now before you, Plan 2006: A Framework for Action (2002-2006), shares with its predecessors a firm grounding in the arenas of learning, discovery, and engagement that define the Libraries and the University. Building upon this foundation, the structure of this plan equips the Libraries for the nimble response required to meet the information needs of the Purdue community in an increasingly dynamic environment. Please join the faculty and staff of the Libraries as we direct our thoughts and energies toward an increasingly flexible, diverse, and "user-empowered" information environment.