Williams Library
Strategic Plan (2006
2007 Report)
A. NSU Vision and
Values Statement:
Vision: Northern
State University is a proud, public institution of higher education
established on an attractive campus in a residential neighborhood.
Integrating technology with teaching and learning, NSU offers excellence
in liberal and professional education with programs in Arts and
Sciences, Business, Education, and Fine Arts.
Values: NSU
students, faculty, and staff are drawn together by the following values:
Community:
With strong ties to Aberdeen and our region, we are a welcoming
community of scholars and learners, with a focus on creating a
student-centered environment.
Scholarship:
We engage in research and creative activities in an innovative
atmosphere of intellectual rigor, with academic freedom and integrity.
Citizenship:
We educate individuals for a lifetime of learning and service to their
ever-changing communities, nations, and world.
B.
Williams Library Mission:
Enhancing student learning; enriching the NSU community
C.
Library Values:
Building on the university’s vision and values statement, we see
ourselves as an active, integral partner in these efforts to promote
scholarship, community, and citizenship. Our vision is to support
student learning, foster excellence in faculty and student research, and
to collaborate with organizations within and beyond the university in
pursuit of this vision.
We
value scholarship;
therefore we
·
Provide access to information, ideas, and
knowledge by
o
Purchasing and/or leasing high quality, scholarly
materials;
§
Begin work on a collection development policy
§
Rethink the nature of the reference collection and
reference services
o
Providing access to materials not physically in
Williams Library through online databases and inter-library loan
services;
§
Ensure a working, effective, fully used ILS
o
Preserving and making available the Archives &
Special Collections.
§
Devote time and resources to the arrangement of
the archives
§
Begin work on a disaster plan
·
Provide quality assistance and instruction to all
students and faculty by
o
Teaching for-credit courses on the effective use
of library resources;
o
Teaching non-credit workshops during faculty
in-service and at other times;
o
Teaching in-class instruction for both general
education and subject specific courses;
o
Providing individual assistance to students and
faculty both in person at a distance.
o
Working with faculty in support of the campus
implementation of the system information literacy requirement;
·
Encourage innovation and creativity by
o
Encouraging professional development opportunities
for library staff;
§
Staff to
attend at least one conference or training session each year
o
Supporting new ideas and risk-taking.
·
Are committed to intellectual freedom.
We
value our multiple communities;
therefore we
·
Focus on
our users by
o
Surveying users annually.
o
Providing a pleasant, user-oriented atmosphere with ample security and
safety.
o
Providing an technical infrastructure and online environment to support
both on-campus and distance students;
o
Providing a forum for campus and community events;
·
Foster
collaboration between students, faculty, and staff by
o
Soliciting faculty input regarding selection, de-selection, and
cancellation of library materials;
o
Working with other departments to make their
materials accessible to the NSU community.
We
value citizenship; therefore we
·
Are a
resource for the entire region by
o
Continuing cooperative arrangements with Presentation College and
Alexander Mitchell Library.
o
Being a
US Federal documents depository and a SD state documents depository.
o
Adding
to, maintaining, and making available our local, regional, South Dakota
and Native American historical collections.
o
Making
our collections available through SDLN.
o
Maintaining a strong presence in SDLN, MINITEX, NAAUG, and other
consortia;
o
Supporting and working with the library of the SD School for the Blind
and Visually Impaired;
o
Participating in the live, online chat reference service sponsored by
NSU, SDSU, DSU, BHSU, SDSM&T, and the SD State Library.
·
Advocate tolerance and mutual respect.
·
Behave ethically by
o
Providing effective fiscal and human resource management;
§
Keep
track of usage statistics;
§
Ensure
that budgets are not overspent.
o
Honoring
contracts, especially in terms of provision of access to online
resources;
o
Upholding intellectual property rights;
§
Serve as
a campus resource for copyright information.
Assumptions:
1.
The
library will continue to offer services that support the mission,
vision, and values of NSU.
2.
The
library will continue to provide information literacy instruction
through both in-class instruction and for-credit courses.
3.
The
library’s budget will remain stagnant as the cost of information
resources continues to grow, with the result that the library will own a
rapidly decreasing proportion of information published.
4.
Development of newer technology will outpace the library’s ability to
keep up with student expectation.
5.
The
library’s collections will become increasingly “online”, pushed by
student expectations and the changing nature of scholarly research and
communication. Student and faculty demands for immediate, full-text
access regardless of where or when will continue to increase.
6.
Resource
sharing opportunities with in SD and through MINITEX will continue to
increase and the library will continue to be at the forefront of such
cooperation.
7.
The
library will continue to play an active role in SDLN and ALEPH 500
will remain the library’s online catalogue system through SDLN.
8.
Given
state funding, attracting and retaining qualified staff will continue to
be a problem.
9.
Given
the rapid growth of information technology, library staff will be called
on to do increasing amounts of training on non-library software (e.g. MS
Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, WebCT, etc.) and for non-library
applications (e.g. digitizing, downloading).
10.
We will
continue to rely heavily on student and part-time employees.
11.
Professional development funds will continue to be available.
12.
The
library will continue to provide a flexible work environment.
13.
Distance
students will become more numerous.
14.
The
necessity for handicapped-accessible equipment will increase.
15.
Additional physical space will not be required for the foreseeable
future.
16.
Library
security, both for people and resources, will continue to be a problem.
Strengths:
1.
The
library has a strong tradition of providing excellent services to the
NSU community.
2.
The
library has a strong, cohesive staff knowledgeable in the use of the
ALEPH system and our online resources and who have strong teaching
experience.
3.
The
library’s own surveys and campus-conducted ACT surveys of alumni show
that students highly rate the library and its services.
4.
The
library has a good record for supporting professional development and
training for staff.
5.
The
library benefits from strong consortial arrangements in the state and in
the region.
6.
The
library has a very strong collection of online resources, linked
statewide through SDLN. It provides a broad array of resources, all of
which can be accessed at all hours from on and off campus.
7.
The
library has an excellent building with sufficient space, well maintained
by our custodian and the physical plant crew and with security well
provided by the campus policemen.
Weaknesses:
1.
Our book
collection is dated in many areas.
2.
Our
electronic resources in the sciences are weak.
3.
The
library does not have a formal collection development policy.
4.
The
library’s archives and special collections are poorly organized.
5.
The
library should do a better job at scheduling events and exhibits.
6.
Internal
communications should always be improved.
7.
There
are no training opportunities at present for ALEPH.
8.
ALEPH
implementation has caused considerable pain and continues to challenge
staff.
9.
There is
no effective reward system for good staff.
10.
We rely
heavily on students and part time staff.
11.
The
library lacks a comprehensive disaster plan.
Opportunities:
1.
As
opportunities arise to participate in cooperative efforts in SD and
within MINITEX, the library will take them.
2.
The
library could do a better job of marketing itself and its services.
3.
The
departure of ITC provides an opportunity to convert the space to respond
to student needs.
4.
There
are many opportunities for training and professional development.
Threats:
1.
Persistent, inadequate funding.
2.
We might
be told what will happen to the space vacated by ITC.
3.
There
will be increased pressure on staff to deal with technology changes.
4.
The
library will experience increased competition from commercial and
non-commercial sources.
