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Mission, Vision, And Strategic Initiatives

July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2028

Mission Statement
The UWF Libraries' purpose is to provide information-related resources and services to support the University of West Florida's learning, teaching, research, and community service missions. It intends to inspire the total individual, encouraging personal, social, and intellectual growth through the acquisition of information and knowledge.

Vision
The Libraries will be an innovative, inspiring, and vital component in the academic life of the University.

Strategic Initiatives

Student Centered and Focused
Provide student-focused services, content, and assistance to support research and learning, regardless of geographic location.

Actions:

  • Implement a First Year Experience program to support FTIC and Transfer students
    • Year 1: implement and assess with Biology, develop assessment rubric and metrics
    • Market to relevant campus units/partners
    • Expand beyond Biology to become library orientation program
  • Provide library resources, tutorials, modules, and research guides to ensure flexible learning options. Update accessibility of online materials.
    • Meet the April 2026 deadline for Title II
    • Circulation position rewritten to align with Title II requirements for course reserves provided through Canvas
    • Evaluate and update technology and equipment to ensure users have access to the tools they need for research, study, and engagement with library services
    • Connect research guides to Canvas courses; use Springshare stats on LibGuides to evaluate usage
  • Support the use and creation of open educational resources to provide cost-effective course materials to students
    • Subject librarians provide options to faculty interested in low- or no-cost resources for course materials through a monthly recap shared by subject librarians with liaison areas and shared on faculty resource libguides
    • The library continues to partner with the Provost’s Office, CTLT, and OUR to provide incentives to faculty to increase the creation and use of open educational resources, using Pressbooks and other open-access publishing options
  • Explore opportunities for intra-unit collaborations (e.g., Nursing VR goggles, MVRC laptop program, Physics telescope, 1st year pre-nursing textbook shelf) as well as opportunities for investment/funding/reciprocity to enhance library services
    • Pursue funding to maintain the reserves equipment collection as a one-stop shop for student technology resources
    • Connect Circulation services to broader library services available to the student
  • Continue to implement, refine, and expand a communication plan to inform faculty and students about relevant library services and collections
    • Create regular reports with data visualizations that detail specific resources and services for each department and College

Employee Success
Attract, retain, support, and develop capable employees who value continuous learning and improvement in support of organizational mission and goals.

Actions:

  • Create a general onboarding guide for new library employees as well as department-specific guides
    • Create task force to draft a guide, using the Circulation Department onboarding document as a template
    • Department-specific guides drafted by each department, with a completed document by Fall 2026
  • Allow employees who meet university eligibility standards to request flexible scheduling
    • Create a mini task force to develop a list of flexible options, in accordance with HR guidelines
  • Refresh the internal communications page to improve use and provide a hub for information sharing among library faculty and staff
    • Conduct an all-staff survey to determine wants/needs for internal communication and best communication channels
    • Engage more staff as editors/authors of internal communications
    • Incorporate an RSS feed so the most current info is easily found
    • Provide multiple opportunities for library faculty and staff to share information, updates, and opportunities for collaboration
  • Support professional development, cross-training, and participating in collaborative projects
    • provide funding and time to attend/collaborate
  • Align annual evaluations with mission and goals
    • Use SMART goals/objectives
    • Clearly state the library initiative supported by the annual objective

Exceptional Academic Programming and Scholarship Aligned with State Needs
Support student learning, research, and creativity through collections, resource sharing, research support, and comprehensive information literacy programming so students can learn information and critical thinking skills that will assist them in their coursework and throughout their careers.

Actions:

  • Review changes to programs/majors to inform collections, instruction, and research support provided to faculty and students.
    • Implement a 7-year collection assessment plan to consistently and comprehensively review collections for relevancy to the curriculum
  • Partner with OUR to support undergraduate research
    • ASC collection
    • Participate in OUR events/provide space, resources, and support as requested by OUR
  • Coordinate a comprehensive information literacy program
    • solicit faculty feedback about info lit (2021 survey - time to rerun)
  • Provide access to robust physical and online collections that provide a wide range of perspectives and ideas.
    • Increase resource-sharing partnerships to expand access to collections from other libraries.