Report to LAM from the Task Force on Communicating Directions and Goals of the University Libraries

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Report to LAM from the Task Force on
Communicating Directions and Goals of the
University Libraries
LAM March 7, 2001
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Have we accomplished our charge?

• Put the existing documents into the framework of
  a strategic plan

• Assess the current state of strategic planning in
  the University Libraries and make recommendations
  for its improvement

• Present a status report to LAM on March 7th, and
  send your report to the Director by March 30, 2001

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The work of the task force can be divided into
six areas.

• Basic definitions concerning planning

• Strategic planning process

• Formal statements resulting from the process

• Identification and evaluation of Libraries
  formal statements

• Findings

• Recommendation

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Getting a full understanding of planning was
crucial to our work.
Basic definitions concerning planning

• Planning

• Corporate planning

• Strategic planning

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After strategic planning was defined, we found a
strategic planning process that would provide a
framework for our work.
A Ten-Step Strategic Planning Process
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After choosing a strategic planning process, we
listed the formal statements that would result
from it vision, mission, strategic issues, and
strategies.
Formal statements in a strategic plan

• Vision statement

• Mission statement

• Strategic issues or challenges

• Strategies

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Using our strategic planning process, we next
identified the Libraries statements that matched
the process formal statements and then evaluated
those statements against the process criteria.

• Identification

• Evaluation

• The statement set by itself

• The sets of statements compared to each other

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We found that the mission statement was probably
well done when it was written in 1990, but should
be 1) shorter, 2) more powerful, 3) unique to
Notre Dame, and 4) reviewed regularly.
As the principal locus of information resources
at the University of Notre Dame, it is the
mission of the University Libraries to advance
the goals of the University by

• The best mission statements are 3-4 sentences
  long.

• Effective mission statements need not set the
  world on fire.... The best ones are direct and
  powerful.

• Providing access to information resources
  regardless of physical location.
• Collecting library materials in all formats
  necessary to support course work, research and
  service.
• Preserving its important collections and unique
  materials for future scholarship.
• Participating in a broad range of cooperative
  programs to ensure appropriate access to
  resources not locally owned.
• Maintaining appropriate physical accommodations
  for library materials and operations, and for
  users of the Libraries' resources and services.
• Educating and assisting faculty, students and
  staff in the identification and effective use of
  information resources.
• Exercising leadership, in cooperation with other
  campus units, in the management of scholarly
  information and the utilization of information
  technology in the pursuit of academic goals.

• Make certain your statement is you and not some
  other company....

• Review and edit your statement on a regular
  basis.

• An effective mission statement is best developed
  with input by all the members of an organization.
  
• Make certain all in your organization get a copy
  of the statement. Use it in your personnel
  manual, business meetings and post it in the
  workplace.

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Because none of the directions statements were
written as strategy statements, they cannot be
expected to meet the evaluation criteria.
Old (Access, 5/98)

• Focus greater attention on developing library
  collections and information resources
• Make desktop access to electronic information
  resources via the network (Internet) a primary
  mode of delivery
• Use the network to deliver library services
• Extend our ability to provide the University
  community with access to information and services
  via cooperative endeavors with other academic and
  research libraries in the state and region

• Deals with the strategic issue it is supposed to
  address

• Works technically

• Addresses concerns of key stakeholders

• Fits with the organization's philosophy and core
  values
• Furthers the organization's pursuit of the common
  good

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When the mission statement was compared to one of
the directions statements, we also found that
since they were not written as a plan, they did
not support each other.
Mission statement, 1990
Directions statement, Access, 5/1998 (re-ordered)
As the principal locus of information resources
at the University of Notre Dame, it is the
mission of the University Libraries to advance
the goals of the University by

• Providing access to information resources
  regardless of physical location.
• Collecting library materials in all formats
  necessary to support course work, research and
  service.
• Preserving its important collections and unique
  materials for future scholarship.
• Participating in a broad range of cooperative
  programs to ensure appropriate access to
  resources not locally owned.
• Maintaining appropriate physical accommodations
  for library materials and operations, and for
  users of the Libraries' resources and services.
• Educating and assisting faculty, students and
  staff in the identification and effective use of
  information resources.
• Exercising leadership, in cooperation with other
  campus units, in the management of scholarly
  information and the utilization of information
  technology in the pursuit of academic goals.

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As a result of our work, we came to the following
conclusion.
Findings without modifying the Libraries
statements, those statements could not form a
strategic plan
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We recommend a 4-stage approach toward a complete
strategic plan, an approach which can be halted
at any point.

• Create a complete strategic plan with broad input

• Rework the mission statement, strategic
  challenges, and strategies with broad input, and
  pilot-test the strategic planning process with
  one department

• Reconcile the formal statements with the
  framework of a strategic plan by using a small
  committee with input from LEC

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Your input is crucial to the completion of our
final report.

• Did we accomplish our charge?

• Do we need to edit our Web page?

• Do we need to revise our recommendations?

• Anything else?

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