DePaul University Libraries > About > About the Library > Strategic Plan > Past Plan: Vision 2018

Past Plan: Vision 2018

The DePaul University Library is a critical feature of the educational landscape at DePaul and is committed to supporting goals shared across academic libraries as well as goals distinct to the mission of DePaul University.

In common with all academic libraries, the DePaul University Library is committed to supporting the teaching, learning, and scholarly missions of its parent institution, to promoting equitable access to information, and to serving as a trusted steward of its resources, collections, and cultural heritage.

Beyond these commitments, the DePaul University Library is distinguished by its support of the distinctive blend of characteristics – Catholic, Vincentian, and urban – that define DePaul University. The library is a key contributor to our shared goal of developing faculty, staff, and students who are prepared to engage the challenges of the twenty-first century as socially-responsible and information-literate citizens.

Finally, following the service tradition of Vincent de Paul, the DePaul University Library employs the resources and expertise found in its staff, collections, and facilities to support and enhance not only the teaching, learning, and research programs at the university but also to contribute to the university’s engagement with the broader community of the City of Chicago. Reflecting the values of its sponsor, the DePaul University Library is committed to always work "in the service of the people."1

The DePaul University Library’s Strategic Plan complements the University’s statement of "Learning Goals and Outcomes," as well as the University’s strategic plan, “Vision 2018: Dedication to Excellence, Commitment to Community.” The DePaul University Library’s Strategic Plan was developed with input from library staff and advisory committees by its Strategic Planning Task Force: Amelia Brunskill, Rebecca Cooling-Mallard, Heather Jagman, Rachel LeBron, Jim LeFager, Morgen Macintosh Hodgetts, Susan Shultz, and Scott Walter (Chair).

1 Vincent de Paul. Correspondence, Conferences, Documents. Vol. 2. Brooklyn, NY: New City, 1989. Retrieved from http://via.library.depaul.edu/vincentian_ebooks/27/

Mission

The DePaul University Library cultivates and sustains the intellectual, creative, and social passions of our students, faculty, and staff as we work together to advance the goals of a more just, ethical, and diverse global society.

Vision

The DePaul University Library is a center for intellectual inquiry and academic engagement beyond the classroom, building and inspiring the campus and community partnerships distinctive of a DePaul education.

Values

The DePaul University Library is guided both by the core values of librarianship and by the Vincentian values that shape the work of the University. In particular, the DePaul University Library has long been known for its commitment to the Vincentian value of “personalism,” as defined both by a respect for the needs of the individual and by an appreciation for what each member of the community brings to the library’s work.

With these overarching values always clearly in mind, we are also guided in this strategic plan by our commitments to the values of:

  • Collaboration
  • Community Engagement
  • Inclusion
  • Innovation
  • Lifelong Learning
  • Service
  • Social Responsibility
  • Stewardship

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Goal 1: Enhance Academic Quality and Support Educational Innovation

In support of excellence in teaching, learning, and scholarship at DePaul University, and in order to promote the optimal use of technology as well as curricular innovation that prepares undergraduate, graduate, and professional students for engaged citizenship in a global society, the DePaul University Library will:

  • 1.1 Design and deliver programs providing support for academic departments and programs seeking to include information literacy instruction and assessment as part of the implementation of the Undergraduate Learning Goals and Outcomes.
  • 1.2 Design and deliver programs promoting the innovative use of primary source materials, including special collections, archival collections and digital collections, in undergraduate education programs.
  • 1.3 Strengthen library engagement with online teaching and learning programs.
  • 1.4 Strengthen library engagement with new academic programs in high-demand fields, including the health sciences.
  • 1.5 Collaborate with colleagues across the university to establish the service program and associated metrics for the Richardson Library Learning Commons as a physical and virtual space dedicated to promoting student success.
  • 1.6 Collaborate with colleagues across the university and with community partners to establish a holistic approach to information literacy instruction as a component of the DePaul Admissions Partnership Program and to promote the library as a key component in the successful academic transition for transfer students at DePaul University.
  • 1.7 Collaborate with colleagues across the university to design and implement the service program and associated metrics for the Richardson Library Scholar’s Lab as a physical and virtual space dedicated to promoting innovation in digital teaching, learning, and scholarship, as well as interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary partnership and programs.
  • 1.8 Design and deliver programs providing support for students, staff, and faculty related to changing models of scholarly communications, copyright and author rights education, and support for emergent forms of digital and/or data-intensive scholarship.

Goal 2: Deepen the University’s Distinctive Connection to the Global City of Chicago

In order to promote student, staff, and faculty engagement with the City of Chicago, enhance partnerships between DePaul University and organizations and institutions in the City of Chicago, promote teaching, learning, and research related to Chicago's history and culture, and develop the facilities, technology, and infrastructure supporting the highest-quality educational experience, the DePaul University Library will:

  • 2.1 Complete the renovation of the Richardson Library, including the Information Commons, as well as enhanced spaces for group study, technology-enhanced collaboration, and research assistance and instruction in special collections and archives.
  • 2.2 Design and implement services and space uses for the Loop Campus Library aligned with academic programs and services housed on that campus.
  • 2.3 Acquire, process, and make accessible rare books, manuscripts, archival collections, and other primary source materials in areas related to the study of the City of Chicago.
  • 2.4 Collaborate with colleagues in the Chicago Collections Consortium to design, deliver, and assess programs aimed at enhancing popular and scholarly use of resources and expertise relevant to the study of the City of Chicago.
  • 2.5 Collaborate with colleagues in the Chicago Collections Consortium and the Steans Center for Community-Based Service Learning to promote the use of complementary collections and expertise by students and faculty pursuing service-learning opportunities in the City of Chicago.
  • 2.6 Collaborate with colleagues at the Chicago History Museum to promote the use of complementary collections and expertise by students and faculty in the Chicago Quarter program.
  • 2.7 Promote the infusion of international perspectives in teaching, learning, and research by designing and delivering faculty development opportunities promoting the use of international materials available through the Center for Research Libraries and other resource sharing programs.

Goal 3: Strengthen our Catholic and Vincentian Identity

In order to nurture and promote the distinctive identity of DePaul University as a Catholic and Vincentian university, and as a global center for Vincentian scholarship, the DePaul University Library will:

  • 3.1 Acquire, process, and make accessible rare books, manuscripts, archival collections, and other primary source materials in areas related to Catholic and Vincentian studies.
  • 3.2 Collaborate with colleagues in the Catholic Research Resources Alliance to design, deliver, and assess programs aimed at enhancing popular and scholarly use of resources and expertise relevant to Catholic and Vincentian studies.
  • 3.3 Collaborate with Vincentian institutions worldwide to identify materials for acquisition, preservation, and digitization, and to promote the use of Vincentian materials in teaching, learning, and scholarship.
  • 3.4 Collaborate with the Division of Enrollment Management’s Catholic Schools Initiative to develop and implement an outreach program to Chicago Catholic schools supporting school library programs, and focused on information literacy instruction as a component of college readiness and lifelong learning.

​Goal 4: Foster Diversity and Inclusion

In order to promote diversity and inclusion at DePaul University and to strengthen the sense of community derived from our shared history and traditions, the DePaul University Library will:

  • 4.1 Develop a library-wide plan promoting a culture of inclusion that addresses recruitment and retention of staff and student employees, orientation and continuing education, and opportunities for library contributions to university-wide initiatives in this area.
  • 4.2 Collaborate with the Division of Information Services and the Division of Student Affairs to coordinate and promote awareness of library services for users with disabilities.
  • 4.3 Collaborate with the Office of Mission and Values, the Office of Public Relations and Communications, the Office of Advancement, and other campus stakeholders to promote the use of archival materials as a resource for strengthening the sense of community among all DePaul constituencies.
  • 4.4 Design and deliver programs contributing to learner support services aimed at students of color, low-income college students, first-generation college  students, and international students.
  • 4.5 Initiate partnerships with local and regional Library and Information Science (LIS) education programs to promote awareness of LIS career opportunities for students of color and recruitment of information professionals of color to DePaul.
  • 4.6 Acquire, process, and make accessible rare books, manuscripts, archival collections, and other primary source materials in areas related to the study of Social Justice and to the study of diverse communities in the City of Chicago.

Goal 5: Ensure a Business Model that Builds the University’s Continued Strength and Educational Excellence

In order to ensure the greatest return on investment in library facilities, resources, and materials for the university community, the DePaul University Library will:

  • 5.1 Collaborate with the Department of Advancement to promote advancement opportunities within the library as well as library-related contributions to college and university-level advancement initiatives.
  • 5.2 Seek new opportunities to increase the buying power of the library budget through participation in consortial acquisitions and resource-sharing programs.
  • 5.3 Promote demand-driven acquisition and other user-centered collection development strategies to ensure maximum return on investment in collection materials.
  • 5.4 Increase investments in the acquisition and creation of digital content to ensure the broadest availability of library content to DePaul faculty, staff, and students.
  • 5.5 Collaborate with the Department of Records Management to develop and implement a plan for the identification and curation of digital records of significance to the University Archives.
  • 5.6 Implement mechanisms for routine access and dissemination of data needed for evidence-informed decision-making in the library.
  • 5.7 Align staff responsibilities and opportunities for mentoring and professional development with evolving areas of strategic interest for the library and the university.
  • 5.8 Enhance partnerships with local and regional Library and Information Science (LIS) education programs to identify and provide short-term field experience opportunities that will provide targeted support for library initiatives

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