Library Faculty and Staff –
Since last May we have considered the Library’s future. We’ve explored some technological advances, how 21st century students learn and study, and how other academic libraries are evolving their services, collections, and spaces. We have had some thought-provoking presentations from innovative library leaders and some engaging staff discussions facilitated by Raynna. Many thanks to all of you who have attended these learning opportunities and participated in the brainstorming.
We are now ready to begin to make some choices about how we will best support the mission of the university going forward and about some transitional organizational changes. We will charge two small groups of faculty and staff who have participated in the Library Futures process to work with DAG, Library Department Heads and Raynna in order to synthesize critical information that will inform our decision making.
One group will develop a University Priorities Environmental Scan. Similar to the University of Connecticut’s experience to align the Library’s Strategic Plan with the University’s priorities, we want to be sure that our planning reflects current OSU directions. Our first small group will scan key University documents, reports, web sites and announcements to determine the top OSU priorities with which the Library must align and support. I will serve as the group’s mentor and, along with other members of DAG, will be a resource to the group in achieving its work. The group will discuss its findings with DAG, department heads and Raynna on Tuesday, April 9. The next morning they will present their work to an all-staff meeting for discussion and questions. Their written document will be made available to all staff. The University Priorities Environmental Scan will insure that all of us have the opportunity to understand current University directions and how the Library can align with them.
A second group will develop a Research Libraries Environmental Scan. We want to synthesize the key developments in research libraries – both new initiatives being implemented by many peer organizations as well as work that libraries are moving away from. This group will read selected research reports (such as the Redefining the Academic Library report), review the presentations from our guest speakers, and scan web sites and announcements from other research libraries. They will use this material to summarize the work performed in a contemporary research library. Again, I will serve as the group’s mentor and, along with other members of DAG, will be a resource to the group in achieving its work. This group will discuss their results with DAG, department heads and Raynna on Tuesday, May 7. The next morning they will present their work to an all-staff meeting for discussion and questions. Their written document will be made available to all staff. During these meetings we will begin to assess what progress the OSU Library is currently making vis-à-vis these contemporary initiatives, what initiatives are priorities for OSU in light of the University’s plans, and what current library work may be less of a priority going forward.
Informed by these scans and an assessment of the Library’s future priorities, DAG will develop a preliminary and transitional new organizational structure for the Library and will draft updated (if needed) mission and vision statements. We expect that by the end of May we will begin recruitment for an Associate Dean position and possibly other priority staffing needs.
From now on, we’ll consider our priorities and our organizational structure to be more fluid than they have been in the past. We’ll continue the Library Futures Series in the fall, and we’ll regularly monitor both the University and research library landscapes so we can adjust our initiatives and our structure periodically as different opportunities arise.
I hope you’ll continue to be engaged in discussions about the future of OSU and the Library. I will send out another message soon regarding the make-up of these two groups.
Regards,
Sheila Grant Johnson
Dean of Libraries and Clerico Family Chair for Library Excellence
Oklahoma State University
Since last May we have considered the Library’s future. We’ve explored some technological advances, how 21st century students learn and study, and how other academic libraries are evolving their services, collections, and spaces. We have had some thought-provoking presentations from innovative library leaders and some engaging staff discussions facilitated by Raynna. Many thanks to all of you who have attended these learning opportunities and participated in the brainstorming.
We are now ready to begin to make some choices about how we will best support the mission of the university going forward and about some transitional organizational changes. We will charge two small groups of faculty and staff who have participated in the Library Futures process to work with DAG, Library Department Heads and Raynna in order to synthesize critical information that will inform our decision making.
One group will develop a University Priorities Environmental Scan. Similar to the University of Connecticut’s experience to align the Library’s Strategic Plan with the University’s priorities, we want to be sure that our planning reflects current OSU directions. Our first small group will scan key University documents, reports, web sites and announcements to determine the top OSU priorities with which the Library must align and support. I will serve as the group’s mentor and, along with other members of DAG, will be a resource to the group in achieving its work. The group will discuss its findings with DAG, department heads and Raynna on Tuesday, April 9. The next morning they will present their work to an all-staff meeting for discussion and questions. Their written document will be made available to all staff. The University Priorities Environmental Scan will insure that all of us have the opportunity to understand current University directions and how the Library can align with them.
A second group will develop a Research Libraries Environmental Scan. We want to synthesize the key developments in research libraries – both new initiatives being implemented by many peer organizations as well as work that libraries are moving away from. This group will read selected research reports (such as the Redefining the Academic Library report), review the presentations from our guest speakers, and scan web sites and announcements from other research libraries. They will use this material to summarize the work performed in a contemporary research library. Again, I will serve as the group’s mentor and, along with other members of DAG, will be a resource to the group in achieving its work. This group will discuss their results with DAG, department heads and Raynna on Tuesday, May 7. The next morning they will present their work to an all-staff meeting for discussion and questions. Their written document will be made available to all staff. During these meetings we will begin to assess what progress the OSU Library is currently making vis-à-vis these contemporary initiatives, what initiatives are priorities for OSU in light of the University’s plans, and what current library work may be less of a priority going forward.
Informed by these scans and an assessment of the Library’s future priorities, DAG will develop a preliminary and transitional new organizational structure for the Library and will draft updated (if needed) mission and vision statements. We expect that by the end of May we will begin recruitment for an Associate Dean position and possibly other priority staffing needs.
From now on, we’ll consider our priorities and our organizational structure to be more fluid than they have been in the past. We’ll continue the Library Futures Series in the fall, and we’ll regularly monitor both the University and research library landscapes so we can adjust our initiatives and our structure periodically as different opportunities arise.
I hope you’ll continue to be engaged in discussions about the future of OSU and the Library. I will send out another message soon regarding the make-up of these two groups.
Regards,
Sheila Grant Johnson
Dean of Libraries and Clerico Family Chair for Library Excellence
Oklahoma State University
