University Libraries

Strategic Plan 2024-2027

Introduction

Western Michigan University Libraries is committed to a user-centered approach in all aspects of its programs and services, designing for the needs of its community in both the physical and online environments. While recognizing that we serve a global community with our extensive resources and digital collections, for the purposes of this strategic plan, the primary focus of the goals and strategies is serving the needs of Western Michigan University students, faculty, and staff.

In 2019, University Libraries launched a project to develop a new strategic plan based on the University's new strategic priorities. Data gathering began with small focus groups for faculty, students, and administrators, following the Harwood Institute for Public Innovation's "Turning Outward" framework. This method is designed to gain insight into community aspirations and uncover innovative connections between what the community envisions and what our libraries can offer. Several library faculty members and administrators are certified Harwood facilitators, which enabled us to use this approach to inform strategic planning. We paused in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and developed an interim set of priorities to focus our work and extend the existing strategic plan.

The revised process began in earnest in December 2022, with a campus-wide survey designed to gather baseline perceptions about the libraries and inform discussion topics for more intensive focus groups. We sent the survey through campus email and other channels and received nearly 200 responses: 34% faculty, 7% staff, 12% graduate students, and 46% undergraduates. Following the survey, four Harwood-styled listening sessions were conducted with 21 faculty and staff, expanding and updating the four previous sessions conducted in 2019. At the same time, we captured student input during five tabling sessions in Waldo Library, the College of Health and Human Services, Floyd Hall, and Sangren Hall with 89 participants. We asked participants five brief questions and grouped responses by theme.

We held select conversations with campus administrators, including interviews with Remzi Seker, VP of Research and Innovation, and Andy Holmes, Chief Information Technology Officer. Dean Julie Garrison discussed with Provost Council members and shared feedback. As a final listening phase, we invited library staff and faculty to four

Although our efforts focused primarily on the campus community, select external resources were reviewed during this stage, including national library statistics from the Association of Research and College Libraries, several future forecast reports, and a review of peer institutions' strategic plans. We shared information about the future of libraries with all staff before authoring the final plan.

In May 2023, University Libraries convened all employees for a half-day retreat. The planning committee presented feedback from listening groups and facilitated three exercises to craft the plan's thematic structure, capture emerging topics, and establish authoring teams.

We charged four cross-functional writing groups to review all community feedback and develop an initial draft for each theme. Each writing group was led by a Strategic Planning Committee liaison, using templates and documentation developed to inform the process. This initial effort included 32 library employees and produced 17 pages of narrative. The planning committee reviewed and edited the combined draft before submitting it for an extensive administrative review focused on clarity and sustainability. We collected additional feedback from library staff and faculty at a July all-staff meeting and with a final survey on the final draft. Final administrative review and editing was completed in December 2023.

Vision

The University Libraries is innovative, responsive and recognized as vital to the research, creative, and academic pursuits of WMU and the global community.

Mission

The University Libraries empowers its community to discover, explore, and shape the information universe.

Empower academic excellence

We develop high-impact, inclusive learning experiences to help students and researchers navigate and critically engage with an ever-changing, complex information ecosystem.

Develop students’ abilities to critically evaluate biases and limitations in information sources and the newly emerging technologies they use to access those sources, such as artificial intelligence.

  1. Design course instruction and learning modules that prioritize critical thinking and evaluation, and develop students’ abilities to effectively use published research, media, and other information sources.
  2. Engage faculty across all colleges in conversation about the connection between student learning outcomes and library services and resources.

Expand experiential learning opportunities for students at all levels.

  1. Offer student internships, practicums, and hands-on practice opportunities that develop professional skills and job-readiness.
  2. Facilitate peer-to-peer learning by developing a student peer-research consulting service with advanced student employee training, based on best practices.
  3. Increase opportunities for engagement with unique, special, and archival collections.

Foster technology-enhanced learning and experimentation.

  1. Provide opportunities to explore, experiment, and create by standing up new, cutting-edge technologies that reach beyond the confines of coursework and research.
  2. Enrich hands-on learning experiences through programming and partnerships with other campus units.

Create inclusive, welcoming, and flexible physical and online library environments that facilitate research, learning, and scholarly advancement.

  1. Invest in flexible, accessible tools and technologies that accommodate all learners.
  2. Expand physical capacity for teaching, research, and community engagement at the Zhang Legacy Collections Center.
  3. Foster dynamic engagement with research and scholarship and creative works through interactive events, exhibits, and workshops.
  4. Ensure accessibility and inclusivity when creating new learning experiences by employing the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework.

Advance research, scholarly communications, and publishing

We support the successful research of the WMU community by providing access to information in all formats, representing diverse voices, cultures, and perspectives. We develop pathways for disseminating and publishing research results effectively.

Amplify diverse voices, cultures, communities, and perspectives to build collections that support teaching and scholarly endeavors.

  1. Prioritize acquisition of diverse materials within the context of the institution’s educational and research mission with a focus on universal access.
  2. Research, develop, and implement strategies and best practices to evaluate diversity, equity, inclusivity, and accessibility of library collections.
  3. Strengthen the transparency of collection development practices and promote understanding of the value of information.

Promote ethical, equitable, and sustainable scholarly dissemination practices.

  1. Expand reach and impact of WMU research and creative scholarship by promoting a culture of open knowledge creation and dissemination.
  2. Expand WMU Libraries open access publishing services.

Safeguard long-term access and discovery of rare and unique collections.

  1. Preserve our scholarly and cultural legacy for future generations.
  2. Expand, enhance, and preserve local digital collections and scholarly efforts developed in cooperation with the WMU community and strategic partners.

Foster community building

We build relationships that foster belonging and inclusion throughout our communities by preserving and sharing untold histories. We create responsive programs that utilize our unique resources and expertise.

Drive cultural preservation, community-driven memory, and digitization projects efforts for southwest Michigan.

  1. Build relationships and work with community organizations to surface and preserve collections.
  2. Share untold history and the perspectives of underrepresented groups.

Broaden library outreach and external programs that align with community priorities.

  1. Create an ongoing dialog with the communities we serve to build responsive library programming and a culture of continuous improvement.
  2. Connect library experts with identified community needs to collaboratively achieve shared goals.
  3. Champion and lead state-wide library and consortial initiatives that promote resource sharing and sustainability.

Cultivate well-being

We holistically address our users’ needs, cultivating an inclusive, welcoming environment and empowering them to develop along the eight dimensions of wellness.

Purposefully design services, spaces, and culture with a focus on sustainability, accessibility, and safety.

  1. Address barriers that make it difficult to use our physical and digital library environments.
  2. Create physical and digital environments that reflect the diverse needs of our community and support different styles of working, learning, studying, and engaging with the libraries.
  3. Prioritize sustainability and promote climate literacy, supporting campus initiatives to create a more sustainable campus and healthier community.

Collaborate with campus partners on library-relevant programming to support holistic well-being for diverse communities.

  1. Develop partnerships to expand expertise and broaden opportunities to participate in wellness programming.
  2. Promote library resources and services that support well-being in connection with relevant library and university events and programming.
  3. Implement diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility best practices and assess impact to better engage and serve our users.