New Strategic Plan for Trent’s Bata Library

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Trent Community Invited to Provide Input to Library Strategic Plan

Friday, March 28, 2008, Peterborough

Trent University’s Bata Library is poised for change. A strategic plan will help align the library’s future with the overall vision and strategic plan for the University.

In an effort to identify, organize and address areas in need of change, library staff undertook a strategic visioning process, carefully analyzing present library processes, functions and resources, and identifying new directions and possibilities. The strategic visioning process serves as the foundation for the development of a strategic plan.

About the Strategic Visioning Process

In the spring of 2007, library staff divided into five teams to evaluate the current state of the following areas: (1) collections, content management and access to information; (2) the human element; (3) collaborative learning, research and teaching; (4) communications, marketing and outreach; and (5) facilities, technology and space. Teams were asked to consider the present condition of the Bata library and its services, comment on the library’s strengths and weaknesses in terms of current education and information trends, and offer predictions about the future of the library with suggestions for how the Trent library can transition to 2014 and beyond.

Each team conducted an environmental scan, identified current strengths and weaknesses, and made recommendations for change. Some of the common themes identified include:

• Electronic information and e-resources and their impact on the library’s mission, especially in terms of content management, access, staffing, learning and teaching, technology and physical space
• Positively increasing the library’s presence by updating the resources and information available, creating a distinct visual identity, increasing the fundraising profile, and increasing outreach and collaborative learning and teaching (with students and faculty)
• Increasing the collaborative learning aspect by focusing on integration and collaboration with faculty, staff and students in order to enhance information literacy and, ultimately, the student learning experience
• Improving the physical space by updating technology, infrastructure, furnishings and lighting, and by addressing structural and mechanical issues
• Rethinking collection development to increase relevancy (in terms of university programmes and research activities), accommodate more digital resources, and increase efficiency.

We want your input!

The library will present an overview of the findings of its strategic visioning process to the Trent community at a series of public meetings:

• Symons Campus: Tuesday, April 1, 5-7 p.m., A.J.M. Smith Conference Room, Bata Library
• Traill College: Thursday, April 3rd, 5-7 p.m., Lecture Hall
• Trent in Oshawa: Date and location to be announced later.

Please come to find out what the library is doing to plan for its future. Your feedback is important. Your comments and suggestions, in conjunction with the results of the strategic visioning process, will help us to draft the strategic plan, which will be completed in May 2008.

For more information, check out the Trent University Library website or send an email .

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For further information, please contact Robert Clarke, University Librarian at (705) 748-1011, ext. 7957