Purdue University Libraries

STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS AND GOALS

THE LEARNING LIBRARY

Higher education today is marked by a growing emphasis on the learner and the learning experience. As knowledge in all disciplines changes rapidly, one of the primary tasks of the undergraduate student is the mastery of information strategies and skills that are transferable across subject areas and serviceable for a lifetime. All members of the university community, in fact, require learning experiences designed to support the broadening, upward spiral of the continuous learning process. These must include a variety of opportunities to learn, whether the individual visits the library physically or virtually.

• The University community values information literacy.
   
• Prior to graduation, students demonstrate a mastery of both information literacy and lifelong learning skills via assessment methods developed jointly by Libraries faculty and the faculty in other disciplines.
   
• Learning of information strategies and skills occurs wherever and whenever needed.
   
• Purdue students, faculty, and staff in all disciplines learn to use changing information technologies.
   
• Customers and potential customers of lifelong, self-directed, and distance learning communicate their needs to the Libraries.
   
• The Libraries support lifelong, self-directed, and distance learning by identifying needs, creating and providing opportunities for effective learning experiences, and promoting the value of such learning.

SCHOLARLY COMMUNICATION

The familiar terrain of scholarly publishing is undergoing a transformation. Multiple forms of publication are now possible, and it is not clear what the balance will be in the future between owning a physical copy of a document and accessing the document via digital means. In some disciplines, for example, the sciences, the balance has already tipped as electronic versions of journals complement, compete with, and even replace those in printed format. Scholars are modifying the way they communicate, and a new integration of text and technology increasingly characterizes the creation, transfer, and utilization of knowledge. As information and communication technologies permit experimentation with new forms of scholarly publishing, intellectual property issues, including copyright, become the focus of national debate.

• The Libraries' management of both ownership of and access to information is informed by an awareness of the changing needs of the Purdue community and by an understanding of the context of these information needs.
   
• The Libraries provide a gateway to a continuously changing environment of scholarly communication, byevaluating, selecting, and providing access to scholarly information in varying formats, independent of location.
   
• The Libraries demonstrate tools and procedures that increase scholars' productivity in creating, communicating, and acquiring scholarly information.
   
• The Libraries are partners with scholars in creating knowledge and in developing, sharing, and accessing emerging forms of scholarly publishing.
   
• The Libraries educate users regarding the legal aspects of scholarly communication in a networked environment.
   
• The Libraries' written collection management policy reflects and accommodates the balance of ownership and access to information, including acquisition and retention in the local collection.

USER-CENTERED SERVICES

The value and benefits of the human interface become ever more critical as the access to digital materials increases and the concept of a library is transformed by new approaches to learning and scholarly communication. In this rapidly changing environment, libraries focus on offering services that effectively meet the needs of users.

• The Libraries are the campus leaders in the provision and evaluation of information.
   
• The Libraries' resources and services are provided to users where and when they are needed, and users have choices regarding how they interact and communicate with the Libraries.
   
• Approachable, knowledgeable, and technically skillful library staff act as partners in defining and procuring needed information, as they balance responding to specific information needs with educating users to find, select, and evaluate information resources for themselves.
   
• Effective user service is the most important priority in the work of library staff.
   
• Focusing on the needs of users, the Libraries develop new services and plan the incorporation of changing technologies.
   
• The Libraries' commitment to user-centered services drives the recruitment, training and development, performance management, and scheduling of staff members and student employees.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Success in the strategic directions of The Learning Library, Scholarly Communication, and User-Centered Services requires a strong foundation in the form of the Libraries' infrastructure: knowledgeable staff; appropriate technologies, facilities, and communication mechanisms; internal and external funding; continual adjustment of budget resources; outcome-oriented assessment methods; and informed priorities. Ongoing evaluation of the infrastructure involves a combination of user input and self-evaluation to measure the Libraries' contribution to successful user outcomes.

• The Libraries faculty and staff engage in an ongoing process of assessment and readjustment of services, facilities, staffing, and technologies.
   
• The Libraries faculty and staff communicate and cooperate as one staff and utilize a variety of communication methods both within the Libraries and with the Purdue community.
   
• An ongoing staff development program provides opportunities for Libraries faculty and staff to enhance their knowledge, skills, and personal effectiveness to better contribute to the strategic directions and goals.
   
• Budget planning, proposals, and adjustments reflect the priority given to those activities, programs, and projects that support the strategic directions, while allowing the flexibility to take advantage of unanticipated opportunities to achieve a goal.
   
• University funding reflects the Libraries' leadership in the provision of information.
   
• An active external fundraising program helps to support the strategic directions.