51³Ô¹ÏÍøºÚÁÏ

Vision

The Library is representative of our diverse community and fosters an open and radically inclusive academic environment rooted in critical library practice and anti-racism. 

Inspiring creativity and curiosity, we embrace new technologies, digital skills and social innovation. Our critical thinkers are emotionally and academically information-literate, engaged with addressing current and future societal challenges.

Our goals 

We have set ourselves five goals that we will work towards to 2033: 

1. To inspire confidence, enthusiasm and creativity, facilitating critical interdisciplinary work and open research cultures
2. For our physical and digital spaces to enable exceptional user experiences, maximising adoption of critical academic and digital skills and literacies
3. For our relationships with local anchor institutions to be broad, with the Library a key civic partner providing focus on digital inequalities and information poverty
4. To be sector-leading in anti-racism within library practice, and best practice leaders in this area
5. For critical information literacy to underpin our practice

Below we detail our areas of focus. Each lens focuses on a different key theme.

Lens: Digital  

1. Provide digital, academic and information literacies to support graduate employability.
2. Take a user experience (UX) approach to our digital platforms, ensuring they are easy to access and use and are continually improved.
3. Enable digital access to special collections, archives and art collections and make them available to all.
4. Provide a critically informed approach to ethical AI-enabled learning and service development.
5. Increase and improve online learning materials and content to bolster our existing ebook collection, and improve diversity and inclusion in collections.
6. Improve learning materials and other online support for Global, Online and Adaptable Learning (GOAL) students and academic partner institutions in the UK and overseas.

Lens: Sustainable

1. Use analytics to understand our use of space to ensure it is managed efficiently
2. Have a digital-first approach which supports our collection size and focus
3. Ensure our main collection is financially sustainable, needs-based and user-led

Lens: Open

1. Create an Open Research Centre and fully integrate open research cultures at 51³Ô¹ÏÍøºÚÁÏ.
2. Embed digital, academic and information literacies within the curriculum.
3. Increase openness, inclusivity and access to the Library in support of 51³Ô¹ÏÍøºÚÁÏ’ widening participation strategy.
4. Apply the Library’s potential and unique position to build social capital and community through civic action and engagement.

Lens: Experience

1. Ensure all services are accessible and inclusive to all.
2. Implement a new operating model that supports staff professional development, job satisfaction and widens access to the information professions.
3. Offer personalised, user-centred and responsive customer experience.
4. Refresh the Library staffing structure to respond to wider sector trends and changes in our staffing complement, creating staff capacity to respond proactively to our changing context.
5. Create physical spaces that foster collaboration and imaginative thinking, establishing the Library as a hub for communities and interdisciplinary exploration.

Lens: Critical 

1. Reimagine Liberate our Library through intersectional approaches including critical race theory and integrate project work with 51³Ô¹ÏÍøºÚÁÏ institutional strategies
2. Embed critical information literacy as our practice, reflected in all touchpoints with students and our research