Strategic Plan

Overview

To the University Community:

The DePaul University Library embarked on a strategic planning process in the fall of 2020, in the midst of a national pandemic which required flexibility and resilience in adapting to new modes of work. We proceeded to draft the plan, despite the challenges of our distributed and remote environment, because we recognized the great value a strategic plan offers to the life and future of an institution. The Library’s priorities are guided by the strategic plan for DePaul University entitled, Grounded in Mission – The Plan for DePaul 2024.  We believe the work of the Library supports the University’s Catholic, Vincentian, and urban mission and that the Library plays a vital role in how the university accomplishes its priorities over the next five years through being a ‘hub’ of support for teaching and learning at the university.

Every strategic plan is aspirational.  The strategic plan you will read in the following pages capitalizes on the strengths of our current work in the University Library while also using that momentum to envision future projects and goals. There are aspects of this plan that will require additional resources and that will extend beyond the five year timeline.  There are also goals in this plan which we will accomplish through the dedication and expertise of our Library team.  This plan would not be possible – in ideation or implementation – without the support and expertise of a talented and collaborative team in the University Library.

We thank the members of the Strategic Planning Task Force who committed to this important work in September 2020.  The Task Force met regularly through the fall and winter, organized and facilitated listening sessions with colleagues, synthesized feedback, and provided editing help and support over the course of our work.

We are pleased to share our strategic plan with the university.

Download the 2020-2025 DPU Library Strategic Plan.

Strategic Plan Task Force

Guided by Grounded in Mission - The Plan for DePaul 2024 and its six priorities, the University Library’s Strategic Planning Task Force formed in September 2020 to create a five-year plan. Our aim was to create a Library Strategic Plan that complemented the University’s and laid out its own goals for academic, creative, cultural, and operational success in the Library. The Task Force was composed of nine staff members with representation from each Library department and one student employee. 

We took a participatory and collaborative approach to creating the Library Strategic Plan in order to incorporate as many voices as possible. The Task Force first determined six broad areas of strategic focus. Then members of the Task Force met with each department, committee, working group, and a group of student employees. We gathered each unit’s perspective on how to shape our broad focus areas into actionable goals. This input was collated and distilled, forming the foundation of the first draft of the Library Strategic Plan. After this draft was shared with staff, we met as a Library so the Task Force could gather more specific feedback about the plan and how it represented the Library as a whole. This feedback informed the revision process that produced the final version of the Plan. 

Many of the goals included in the Plan are extensions of work we’re already doing or for which seeds are already germinating. The Task Force strove to create a document that reflects not just who we are as a Library today, but who we want to become over the next five years. We channeled the voices, ideas, and aspirations of our colleagues into a collective vision that we are enthusiastic about realizing. At its core, the Plan captures the Library’s continued commitment to the success of DePaul University.

The Task Force thanks the Library staff and student employees for their collaboration and commitment to this process.

Members of the Strategic Planning Task Force: