I. Library Mission

The Library has identified a three-fold mission that guides the work of the Department.

1. To provide library resources, services and facilities which support the undergraduate and graduate programs of Northeastern Illinois University.
   
2. To provide access for Northeastern Illinois University faculty, staff and students to library and information resources that extend beyond local resources and services.
   
3. To contribute to the academic success, growth and development of students through teaching and promoting information literacy.
   

II. Vision

In support of the University mission, the Library strives to be both student-centered and learner-centered. In being student-centered, the Department of the Library will develop policies, collections and services in a flexible manner to accommodate changing student needs and requirements. Commitments of staff time and expenditures devoted to traditional collections and services will continually be assessed and balanced with demands for new and evolving information resources and services. In being learner-centered, the Library faculty and staff will design and provide information and instruction services, in partnership with academic departments and faculty, with a clear focus on student learning. In being fully student-learner centered, the Library will fulfill its potential to serve as the intellectual commons or crossroads for the University Community where people and ideas interact to expand learning and to facilitate the creation of new knowledge. The following statements define the shared vision of the library faculty and staff in becoming a fully student-learner centered library.

1. The information resource needs of Northeastern Illinois University students and faculty are the key drivers in setting library priorities and in the design and allocation of library resources.
   
2. The Library is the "portal of choice" for members of the University Community in both the real and virtual environments because it provides responsive access to quality information resources and services.
   
3. The Library faculty and staff is a community of learners, committed to professional growth, to experimentation with new modes of information access and to working collaboratively with each other and other colleagues to enhance the delivery of information services.
   
4. Library faculty and staff are actively engaged with classroom faculty in the teaching/learning process of creating well-educated, information-literate graduates who will be life-long learners.
   

III. Library Goals

To fulfill its mission within the University and to attain the stated vision, the Library has identified the following goals for the planning period:

Goal 1. The Library will build a well-balanced collection of print, media and electronic resources that supports the curriculum and meets the information needs of the University's students and faculty.

Goal 2. The Library will acquire materials following sound management practices and organize them according to accepted principles of knowledge management and national standards to provide bibliographic and physical access in a timely manner.

Goal 3. The Library will implement and manage automated library systems and networked information services to enable seamless access to library resources.

Goal 4. The Library will provide ready access to information and research materials beyond local Library collections and resources.

Goal 5. The Library will provide individualized reference assistance and consultation to users of the Library’s collections, services and electronic resources.

Goal 6. The Library will provide a full range of instructional services and learning support opportunities to empower students to be effective users of information resources and to prepare them to become life-long learners.

Goal 7. The Library will provide facilities and an environment designed and maintained in a manner to meet the range of needs of library users.

Goal 8. The Library will secure the necessary budgetary and staff resources and will allocate these resources effectively to meet programmatic needs.

Goal 9: The Library will communicate effectively and regularly with all stakeholders, on and off campus, to build support and to promote use of library collections and services.

IV. Library Strategies

The Library has identified the following strategies as broad initiatives and priorities in meeting our stated goals for the planning period:

Goal 1. The Library will build a well-balanced collection of print, media and electronic resources that supports the curriculum and meets the information needs of the University's students and faculty.

a. Partner with other academic libraries and consortia in implementation of the emerging tiered approach to the licensing of electronic resources that expands availability of information for NEIU faculty and students in the most cost-effective manner.
b. Participate in statewide collection assessment activities and use data from these initiatives to strengthen and focus NEIU collection development plans by subject area and format.
c. Conduct local collection assessment activities to identify materials by subject area and format for addition and withdrawal from the Ronald Williams Library collections.
d. Expand the collection development responsibilities of library faculty subject specialists to include all format types (including electronic resources) to the greatest extent possible.
e. Enhance communication between library faculty subject specialists and academic departments and expand opportunities for input by classroom faculty into collection development decisions.
f. Enhance collections in targeted areas of known strength and excellence.

Goal 2. The Library will acquire materials following sound management practices and organize them according to accepted principles of knowledge management and national standards to provide bibliographic and physical access in a timely manner.

a. Investigate emerging metadata schema for providing bibliographic access to library resources, including digital objects, and implement them as appropriate to meet changing access requirements.
b. Participate in consortial cataloging efforts to provide bibliographic access to library resources.
c. Implement procedures to organize web and digital library resources following accepted principles of knowledge management and emerging standards.
d. Evaluate and revise technical services functions to meet the changing demands of emerging standards for bibliographic organization and access.
e. Outsource routine technical services processes and some specialized cataloging where outsourcing is the most efficient means of operation.
f. Implement new and expanded options to provide access to full text articles, reserve materials and other library materials directly to the user desktop.

Goal 3. The Library will implement and manage automated library systems and networked information services to enable seamless access to library resources.

a. Implement new integrated and linked systems to streamline patron access and technical services operations.
b. Place a high priority on implementing effective user authentication/authorization systems to support anytime-anywhere access for the University Community to library automation systems and electronic resources.
c. Conduct usability studies, focus groups or other forms of assessment to improve the functionality of networked information systems and services.
d. Increase the number of technical support staff in the Library and increase the technical expertise of all Library faculty and staff through continuing education.

Goal 4. The Library will provide ready access to information and research materials beyond local Library collections and resources.

a. Develop and enhance agreements and partnerships with other libraries, consortia and major research centers to facilitate access to specialized materials
b. Build on existing strengths in interlibrary loan by implementing new approaches to document delivery directly to end-users.
c. Enhance the initiative of providing librarian-selected links via the Library web site to high quality academic web sites that support the curriculum and the University mission.

Goal 5. The Library will provide individualized reference assistance and consultation to users of the Library’s collections, services and electronic resources.

a. Evaluate and implement staffing plans for public service desks to better meet needs of the University Community.
b. Experiment with electronic modes of providing reference services.
c. Develop FAQ (frequently asked questions) and self-help tutorials on how to use the Library for access via the Library’s web site.
d. Provide specialized subject consultations and customized reference services when needed to facilitate student success.

Goal 6. The Library will provide a full range of instructional services and learning support opportunities to empower students to be effective users of information resources and to prepare them to become life-long learners.

a. Review and revise Library support of the Computer/Information Literacy Requirement to meet changing needs of the University and to more fully incorporate learning outcomes and assessment methodologies.
b. Collaborate with teaching faculty, faculty governance committees and University initiatives in integrating information literacy and library instruction in new ways into the curriculum to reach all undergraduates.
c. Expand partnerships with the teaching faculty to increase the delivery of library instruction and supporting instructional material to upper division and graduate students in major subject areas.
d. Develop assessment tools along with the teaching faculty to determine the effectiveness of library instruction and its impact on student research, learning and success.
e. Develop and/or implement web-based library instructional modules to provide self-paced, library and information literacy learning opportunities via the Library’s web site.

Goal 7. The Library will provide facilities and an environment designed and maintained in a manner to meet the range of needs of library users and staff.

a. Utilize input from external consultants and from library users in reconfiguring library space to enhance functionality in meeting the changing needs for individual and group study space.
b. Build on the synergy and success of the MLRC and ETLT to enhance use of the Ronald Williams Library as a center for faculty and students for learning and use of new instructional technologies.
c. Develop action plans and secure funding to replace all furniture and furnishings in the Ronald Williams Library.
d. Evaluate office space provided to library faculty and staff members and develop plans to modify layouts and to upgrade furniture to improve the work environment.
e. Strengthen communication and partnerships with all offices on campus that provide facilities/infrastructure support and services to the Library.

Goal 8. The Library will secure the necessary budgetary and staff resources and will effectively allocate these resources to meet programmatic needs.

a. Utilize best practices of planning and assessment to justify requests for budgetary and staff resources
b. Expand the staff development program, extend the range of training opportunities made available at all levels and increase the percentage of the budget devoted to travel and professional development.
c. Secure funding for additional full-time staff in high demand, mission-critical service areas.
d. Increase utilization of temporary and part-time staff at professional and para-professional levels to enhance staffing levels within available budgets.
e. Develop effective methods of gathering user-input in combination with flexible resource allocation models that allow quick response to users needs and the changing information environment.
f. Pursue grant opportunities to supplement state budgetary resources.

 

Goal 9: The Library will communicate effectively and regularly with all stakeholders, on and off campus, to build support and to promote use of library collections and services.

a. Evaluate and expand use of a variety of print and electronic media for increasing awareness of new library resources and services.
b. Expand use of faculty and student advisory committees to gather input from constituent groups.
c. Make more intentional use of social gatherings and celebrations to recognize milestones and to thank staff and users for their support.

Approved: Department of the Library Faculty Date: July 31, 2000
Approved: Bradley F. Baker, University Librarian Date: August 1, 2000

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