Strategic Plan

Dean's Introduction

Strategic planning is a labor-intensive but gratifying activity for any organization, and the UNH Library appreciated the opportunity that planning provided us to reflect on the Library’s present and to dream about its future. Higher education, the information economy, scholarly communication processes, and information and academic technologies are all undergoing significant change, and every research library must navigate these changes. We grappled with the economic realities that force us to make hard choices. We benefited from the strategic priorities for UNH.

We thank everyone who was involved in the evolution of this plan, and we look forward to partnering across campus and with professional colleagues to achieve these initiatives.

-Tara Lynn Fulton, Dean of the University Library

Strategic Priorities

Download the UNH Library Strategic Plan 2020-2025

Aspiration

The UNH Library will partner with faculty as well as academic, campus, and community groups to prepare students to be informed and ethical users and creators of information. The Library will actively support historically underserved populations to provide all students with an equal opportunity to succeed.

Initiatives

  • Cultivate a safe, equitable, and inclusive environment
    Status: about half way to completing the initiative
  • Promote inclusion of information literacy and related literacies into university curricula
    Status: about half way to completing the initiative
  • Hone instruction and other efforts to provide impactful learning experiences
    Status: about half way to completing the initiative

Aspiration

The UNH Library will take a user-centered approach to improving spaces, resources, expertise, and technology. The Library will use ongoing assessment to make incremental and user-informed changes. The Library will provide a hospitable and inspiring learning environment in support of UNH’s vision for a welcoming and inclusive campus community.

Initiatives

  • Maximize discovery of and access to information resources
    Status: significant progress towards completing the initiative
  • Continuously improve the Library’s physical spaces to balance varied and changing user needs
    Status: about half way to completing the initiative
  • Increase investment in the Library’s virtual presence and technical infrastructure
    Status: some progress towards meeting the initiative

Aspiration

The UNH Library will be a collaborative contributor to UNH’s research and service initiatives. As a publisher and preserver of the University’s scholarly output, the Library will have a robust physical and digital archive and a comprehensive institutional repository. The Library will curate its collections and will be an active participant in cooperative associations to support the information needs of its diverse communities.

Initiatives

  • Raise awareness of library services, resources, and expertise
    Status: significant progress towards completing the initiative
  • Reconceptualize and implement a highly effective liaison program
    Status: about half way to completing the initiative
  • Share expertise around data management, preservation, and scholarly publishing with a wider audience
    Status: some progress towards meeting the initiative
  • Provide leadership for preservation of and access to digital collections reflecting New Hampshire’s history and cultural heritage
    Status: some progress towards meeting the initiative

Aspiration

The UNH Library will be an agile, responsive, and service-focused organization. The Library recognizes that its people are its strongest asset and will provide ongoing investment in each team member’s knowledge and skills. The Library will provide a work environment that encourages each individual to contribute to their full potential.

Initiatives

  • Recruit and retain a diverse and innovative library workforce
    Status: significant progress towards completing the initiative
  • Deepen expertise in areas of strength to engage with the campus and to act as regional and national library leaders
    Status: some progress towards meeting the initiative
  • Evolve the Library’s organizational structure to maximize teamwork, agency, and accountability
    Status: significant progress towards completing the initiative
  • Build a practice of documenting, assessing, and communicating the Library’s contributions to the University
    Status: significant progress towards completing the initiative

Aspiration

The UNH Library, as a responsible steward of its resources, will define core services and make them as efficient, effective, and responsive as possible. The Library will embrace an imaginative approach to building capacity for the future while advocating for greater institutional investment. Environmentally sustainable practices will be infused throughout library spaces and operations.

Initiatives

  • Increase awareness at UNH about shifts in scholarly communication, including the evolving publishing landscape, open access, and freedom of information
    Status: some progress towards meeting the initiative
  • Address inadequacies in providing safe and secure housing for collections
    Status: about half way to completing the initiative
  • Manage physical collections relative to space and user needs while contributing to national preservation and retention efforts
    Status: some progress towards meeting the initiative
  • Build a stronger financial foundation by pursuing additional sources of funding
    Status: some progress towards meeting the initiative

About the Planning Process

The Strategic Planning Task Force began work in January 2019. This group included representation of administration, faculty, and staff from across the Library. The charge was to create a concise and actionable strategic planning document to guide the Library for the next three to five years.

The input and editing process was inclusive of all library faculty and staff and later drafts were reviewed by a wide range of campus stakeholders. Much work was done to align the Library’s priorities with the University's priorities and to address current trends in higher education and academic libraries.

The Future of UNH: Four Strategic Priorities

Initiative status updates on this page reflect progress as of December 2022