51ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø

Purpose

The purpose of the University Library, as part of the Research & Innovation Directorate, is to:

• support teaching, learning and research in the University, by developing and promoting access to information resources;
• enable students’ development of those academic and information skills required for success;
• support good research practices in the management, communication and preservation of University research outputs;
• provide a variety of study spaces enabling individual learning and group work and research;
• contribute to the wider world of scholarship, and to the transfer of knowledge, by collaborating and co-operating with other organisations.

We uphold this mission by aligning our activities with our Directorate and University’s strategic principles of community, excellence, sustainability, and the engaged University.

Community – putting people first

We engage with our students, researchers and colleagues via formal and informal routes to ensure facilities and services continue to provide a fulfilling and inclusive study environment, develop their academic and research skills, and support the whole University community to meet their study and/or research goals. We promote our services to ensure all students and staff are aware of the academic support we offer and help remove barriers to access. We actively work with our community to acquire and promote content reflective of its diverse nature.

We maintain and develop Library staff knowledge and skills by promoting internal and external programmes of organised training and individual learning opportunities, and give a high priority to management development, team working, digital capability and customer care.

We will achieve these strategic aims by:

1. supporting the effective use of resources for teaching and learning
2. engaging in continual discussions with students and colleagues to ensure we are adapting our services and skills provision to meet our community’s changing needs
3. attending and contributing to relevant University Committees, Communities of Practice and Working Groups relating to the development of teaching, learning and research practices
4. deliver training to the University’s research community via relevant internal initiatives (e.g. the 51ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Researcher Development Programme).
5. engaging in continual discussions with students and academic colleagues to ensure we are adapting our facilities, services and content to meet their changing needs
6. providing and supporting internal and external professional development and networking opportunities for staff.

Excellence – aspiring to the highest standards

We support the University’s aim to transform lives by focussing on excellence and innovation in education and research locally, nationally and globally and by fostering a culture of continuous review and improvement of our service. We provide expert guidance to students and staff in the areas of study advice, information skills, and research.

We will achieve these strategic aims by:

7. providing staff who are nationally recognised professionals in delivering excellence in teaching and learning support
8. developing and promoting the online transition course (Study Smart) ensuring that all students may start University on a level playing field
9. working with colleagues across Schools to embed academic and information skills into the curriculum, understanding and reflecting the requirements and graduate attributes of current and future students
10. developing robust measurement, User Experience testing and feedback systems so we can evaluate use of our services and facilities and the impact they have on student experience
11. leading the development of Open Research culture in the University so that research outputs and practices are accessible, transparent, reproducible, re-usable and sustainable
12. developing support for digital scholarship through the Digital Humanities Hub
13. reviewing our systems to ensure storage, discovery and access to our collections, content and research output is efficient, intuitive and fit for purpose

Sustainability – managing our resources for today and tomorrow

The University has pledged to be both financially and environmentally sustainable and to continually review current offerings and strengthen national and international partnerships and trans-national education. We align with this pledge by ensuring we have effective and efficient administrative systems, procedures and policies for managing Library personnel, finance, buildings, equipment and resources (via our Content Strategy), and that these systems and procedures interface with others in the University to maximum effect with minimum duplication of effort.

We will achieve these strategic aims by:

14. utilising nationally negotiated purchasing schemes and frameworks for cost effective acquisition of resources
15. participating in reciprocal inter-lending schemes with other libraries (national and international) assuring sustainable access to resources
16. reviewing systems and tools used to provide services and access to resources, ensuring their currency, appropriateness, fitness for purpose and sustainability
17. targeted promotion of available resources (directly to users and by liaising with academic colleagues) ensuring maximum usage and driving value for money
18. capturing, preserving and maintaining access to research outputs and data deposits in compliance with, and support of, Open Research
19. supporting and adhering to University Sustainability Services strategy via our ways of working and through our service provision

Engaged University – impact beyond our campuses

We actively engage with University colleagues to support partnerships and widening participation activities, making our Library available to others where possible and appropriate. We are active within professional and sector networks and provide for local, regional, national and global needs in library and information resources and services via collaborative relationships with professional bodies, external consortia and schemes.

We will achieve these strategic aims by:

20. providing advice and support to University colleagues engaged in creation of partnerships and transnational educational activities
21. working with colleagues to deliver activities for underrepresented groups of students and potential students ensuring they have equal opportunities to participate and succeed at 51ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø in line with the University’s Access and Participation Plan
22. supporting access to resources for people seeking sanctuary in line with 51ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø’s University of Sanctuary initiative
23. being a member of national initiatives for collection preservation ensuring continued access to the national cultural print archive
24. contributing to, and being aware of, national initiatives supporting good practice in, and engagement with, all aspects of Open Research scholarship, publication and Digital Humanities
25. engaging with learning development research, approaches and current challenges
26. encourage active participation by staff in relevant sector conferences and networks and publishing our research

The University Librarian April 2025