Mount Saint Vincent University Library
Strategic Plan


Introduction

Since 1873, the Library has been an integral part of the Mount’s academic mission. In developing this strategic plan, we aligned our goals with the current priorities of the University and considered several documents, including the institutional strategic plan Mount 2017: Making a Difference, and the Mount Research Plan 2015-2018: Making a Difference through Research. From 2013 to 2015 the Library was engaged in a formal external review process. This review provided the Library with the opportunity to celebrate our successes as well as consider ways to advance our mission in the future. The four key goals that follow emerged from a process that included students, faculty, administration, and our dedicated Library staff. We have worked to implement this plan over the past four years to further enhance the Mount experience for our community.

In 2022-23, the Library and Archives will begin another intensive external review process. The University now has a new Strategic Plan, Strength Through Community 2021-2028, which will influence the development of a new institutional academic plan and research plan, which we will look to when creating our next future strategic directions. In the meantime, we continue to be inspired by the new Strategic Plan and dedicated to our core vision, mission, and goals. 

Vision

The Mount Saint Vincent University Library is a physical and virtual hub on campus which strives to achieve excellence in its facilities, services, and resources.

Mission Statement

The Mount Saint Vincent University Library is committed to being a welcoming, inclusive and engaging environment for the Mount and its extended communities.

We Value:

  • user-centred approaches to resources, services, and facilities
  • an environment which encourages academic integrity and ethics in scholarship
  • respect and support for scholarly communication, open access, and user/creator rights
  • staff development as a contributor to excellence
  • collaboration and cooperation with internal and external partners
  • preservation of the University’s institutional memory

Goal One: Offer and support teaching and learning in and outside the classroom

i. Foster closer relationships between liaison librarians, faculty and students by program with an emphasis on the first-year experience

ii. Raise the profile of the Library as partners in the teaching pursuits of the University

iii. Further develop strategic information literacy partnerships

iv. Explore further opportunities to modernize facilities and make effective use of Library space to increase quiet and collaborative areas for students

Goal Two: Contribute to the University’s research environment

i. Design the Library’s information resources for better usability and advocate for the same from our vendors

ii. Seek new ways to support student research and innovation

iii. Better engage with faculty and their research

iv. Increase the profile of unique collections and improve access online

v. Partner with the Research Office to explore research data management solutions for faculty and graduate students

Goal Three: Support scholarly communication

i. Promote open access publishing, explore open text book initiatives, as well as expand Journals @ the Mount service for faculty and student ventures

ii. Further promote and build on the Mount E-Commons and actively seek areas of the University which could benefit from its use

iii. Seek further support for archives, digital collections and scholarly communication

iv. Engage in discussions with other universities to further develop resources in support of joint programs and partnerships

v. Showcase the University’s history with Archive resources via digital collections

Goal Four: Build partnerships

i. Work closely with other University services to build a more robust, accessible, academic support network with the Learning Commons model

ii. Explore ways to better connect with retirees and alumnae

iii. Further develop connections with the outside community by building on the Library’s outreach programming

iv. Further promote the CCBC collection for researchers, teachers, guardians and children

v. Explore Library support for user communities who have unique or exceptional needs such as: commuter students, mature students, international students, first generation students, students registered with Accessibility Services, students from under-represented groups, and community-based groups





Last updated November 21, 2022