Western Libraries

Taylor Matters - Winter 2007

Contents Winter 2007: Western's Strategic Plan | Focus on Interdisciplinary Research | Web of Science| Scopus | Multi-Search | Graduate Students Support | Prize Winning Research 

Taylor Library and Western's Strategic Plan

Western Libraries plays a key role in meeting the goals of the University’s Strategic Plan, Engaging the Future. Western Libraries has developed an overall Strategic Plan, Library-as-Place & Place-as-Library: Strategic Plan 2007-08 to 2010-11, which outlines the Libraries’ strategic directions and emphasizes the following priorities:

  • the undergraduate student experience,
  • increased graduate student enrolment,
  • increased research intensity,
  • increased interdisciplinarity, and
  • internationalization.

The Allyn & Betty Taylor Library has identified a set of priorities within this strategic framework. Our focus will continue to be the delivery of user-centered, needs-based services. In order to reach our goals, we will continue to build our relationships and strengthen collaboration with the faculties, departments and schools we serve.

We will enhance our efforts towards developing students' library and information literacy skills through in-class, one-on-one and online instruction. In order to achieve a high level of student engagement we will adopt best teaching practices, and work collaboratively with faculty to achieve the desired student learning outcomes.

Support for graduate students will be addressed through needs-based programming. To better understand those requirements, the Library has conducted a needs assessment and has planned a workshop series in response to the findings. The new graduate student library skills program is described in more detail in this issue of Taylor Matters.

We will also address the issues arising from increased research intensity at the university, and will respond to the needs for information resources and services that directly support this research. Special attention will be paid to interdisciplinary research centres and new areas of research.

Finally, a special focus for the Taylor Library is a tight collaboration with our hospital affiliates in the region in order to support the distributed learning and research environment. A partnership is being formed with hospital library services in the city and the region to improve library services and resource access for our students, faculty and research staff working onsite in the hospitals.

 

Please contact Eeva Munoz, Assistant University Librarian (Allyn & Betty Taylor Library), for further information about the Library's strategic directions.