UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES OF NOTRE DAME

The charge to academic units requests that we develop a strategic plan, thinking boldly and with vision, and that in submitting this plan to the University, we assess where we are today, describe our aspirations looking out ten years, and articulate the key means to achieve our goals. It is with pleasure that I convey the library report concerning our aspirations, assessment, draft strategic plan from the University Libraries, and resources (key means) that will be required. Within the library, a steering committee guided the development of the plan and planned the solicitation of input from the library as well as from academic units, which was subsequently collected by individual librarians and staff. A library consultant led the Steering Committee discussions which created this draft strategic plan. This report is presented in the following order.

Section 1. Vision and aspirations, strategic challenges, rankings and right size

Section 2. Overview of strategic areas

Section 3. Facilitator of learning and teaching

Section 4. Center for research and scholarship

Section 5. Intellectual commons

Section 6. Creative and knowledgeable organization

Section 7. Rationalization and redirection of existing resources

Section 8. Assessment of library services, collections, information resources and facilities

Section 1: Vision and aspirations, strategic challenges, rankings and right size

Vision and aspirations

Not too many years ago, on the occasion of the rededication of the earthquake damaged library at Stanford University, President Casper spoke of the library as an integral part of the university mission, the preservation of our Western heritage and culture. In the age of electronic information resources and the Web, the library is even more visible and valuable as the means for selecting and organizing knowledge, for creating and preserving access to that knowledge, and for providing a Web-accessible information space where users find and use information. Students and faculty depend on the information and knowledge resources of the library for their teaching, learning and research activities. Faculty and students value the library as a source of credible, reliable and non-commercially provided knowledge resources, personal assistance and instruction in how to find and use a wide range of information.

We aspire to be a great library, a great destination for teaching, learning and research. Greatness lies in distinguished research collections that bring the best students and faculty to Notre Dame and attract international scholars. Great research libraries by definition hold large collections and have for years been known by their most distinguished, complete or unique collections. Today, however, greatness comes from many roles:

• distinguished research collections and access to information resources
• services that connect users to library resources and enhance scholarly productivity
• support for the development of teaching and learning activities
• fostering of intellectual engagement, an intellectual commons
• an agile and knowledgeable organization one step ahead of its users
• and, at Notre Dame, support through collections and services for the Catholic intellectual heritage and an expression of the Catholic identity of Notre Dame

Strategic challenges

The Libraries face several challenges in the aspiration towards greatness:

• achieving excellence in meeting information needs across all disciplines and in providing services to all campus constituencies
• building rich and unique research collections in areas that support Notre Dame's aspirations to be a scholarly destination
• defining our role and place within the global network of research libraries in acquiring, cataloging and preserving the record of scholarship for future generations
• creating a Catholic identity in a research library

Rankings of the Association of Research Libraries

The only national ranking of research libraries is that of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) which reflects university investments in libraries. Over the last decade, the University Libraries and Kresge Law Library together have risen noticeably, and are now ranked 47^th. Additional investment has resulted in a higher level of faculty and student use and satisfaction with library services, collections and information resources. Though the ARL rankings do not directly measure the quality of library collections and services, they are widely believed to be predictors of success because the greater the investment, the greater the resources for meeting information needs, particularly through library collections and access to information resources. ARL rankings identify a group of academic research libraries which are, by definition, major investments in the collection, servicing and preservation of the cultural heritage and scholarly record. The Notre Dame Libraries should continue to rise in the rankings because the aspirations of Notre Dame to attain greater stature as a teaching and research university will require that additional funds be put into library collections, information resources, services, people and space. Moving up in the rankings is not the goal; however, a rise would reflect to the academic community the seriousness of Notre Dame's ambitions.

Right size

In 1994, the Ad Hoc Committee on Libraries addressed this topic and concluded that the Libraries at that time were "too small" on all dimensions: library faculty and staff, collections and information resources, and space. That assessment resulted in a substantial increase in the annual budget between 1994/1995 and 2000/2001, although the $12 million recommended for retrospective purchasing was not funded. Since then, further assessment and input has come from the Self Study Review Committee and the Notre Dame faculty. While noting that collaboration in collection development is essential, their recommendations still categorize the library as "too small" and emphasize the critical need to strengthen library collections and provide access to electronic resources, which together are requirements for enriching graduate programs and faculty research.

Notre Dame is focused on maintaining academic excellence and expanding research initiatives. The right size for the Libraries is a function of University goals for graduate programs and faculty research. More funding is needed to support graduate programs and research than is needed to support undergraduate learning and research.

In addition, the right size in library collections and information resources is a function of the cost effectiveness of collections versus interlibrary loan/document delivery in meeting information needs. A critical mass of faculty and students working in any specific subject area usually means that the library collections and subscriptions to electronic resources are more cost effective than document delivery on request.

Determining the balance between these methods, that is between the role, and therefore size of the collection, and the role of resource delivery on request is an art, not a science, and the balance will vary by subject. We have attempted to describe library collections on the basis of their purpose and relation to faculty research at Notre Dame. In some disciplines and fields of study, library collections are the research laboratories. In these cases, the building of a "just-in-case" collection, that is the research laboratory, is critical; the presence of a systematically and comprehensively developed collection in which any number of scholars can work is the desired condition. In the second instance, Notre Dame faculty use the library collections to find information or knowledge, but while they want to find information within the collection, the library collection as a whole is not their laboratory. And, in these cases, while there must be some collection in place to provide frequently requested information, the focus is less on building a comprehensive and systematic collection, but rather on building a collection that meets specific information needs with greater use of document delivery/interlibrary loan for ensuring timely access to the desired information.

In general terms, we can categorize the arts, the humanities, and some social sciences, and even an occasional science or two, mathematics comes to mind, as areas where the emphasis is on the laboratory. Some social sciences, engineering, other sciences, and business lean toward the other end of the continuum, requiring significant amounts of information in all formats, but the focus is on meeting current information needs, a "just-in-time" approach. Even these labels are arbitrary and there can be many useful arguments made to that end. However, the purpose is more clearly to delineate a range of purposes for library collections, to offer assistance in identifying what is needed, and to match resources to appropriate aspirations.

In the library today, we have looked at the question of what is the right size by thinking of what we want to achieve and what resources are needed to do that. Particularly for library collections and information resources, we have included consideration of current library collection strengths; priorities for colleges and Ph.D. programs; University aspirations to grow research programs and to be a scholarly destination of choice; the role of library collections and information resources as a research laboratory; and the anticipated cost-effectiveness of the collection in meeting information needs. To support university aspirations, the Libraries must continue to grow.

Section 2: Overview of strategic areas

With clear ideas on our contributions to academic excellence and commitment to the Catholic intellectual tradition, on aspirations of being a great library, and on a knowledge of what Notre Dame faculty and students need, we have articulated four areas of library responsibilities, within which to identify strategic directions and initiatives. These areas speak to the library as a:

• Facilitator of learning and teaching
• Center for research and scholarship
• Intellectual commons
• Creative and knowledgeable organization

Section 3: Facilitator of learning and teaching

Academic programs at the University are changing in curricular content and instructional styles. Information technologies are rapidly affecting University services and classroom instruction, and the Web in particular is dramatically expanding the availability of information. To remain effective and supportive of the learning and teaching efforts of the University, the library of the 21st century must transform services to meet changing user needs and expectations and develop services to make users more productive. To help prepare students for their academic studies and employment in the information age, the Libraries will be deeply involved in the teaching of information seeking skills and concepts, as information technology is integrated into all aspects of the curriculum. Toward these goals, the Libraries will seek to:

3.1 endow the undergraduate library experience

3.2 integrate library services into the delivery of courses

3.3 create a digital visual resources collection

3.4 develop services to Notre Dame alumni

3.5 endow positions for library faculty in areas of University priorities

3.6 provide enhanced data services

3.1 Endow the undergraduate learning experience (5 million - $250,000 annually). It is vital to develop student research skills to find, use, and evaluate information; to access readily information resources needed for courses; and to know how to use numeric and image data as well as the more familiar textual data. This is also important because of student interest; a research committee's recommendation on involving undergraduates with more research opportunities; the Boyer report calling for inquiry-based curriculum; the Technology Committee's mention of student expectations for web-based access to education; and Notre Dame's outstanding reputation as a teaching university.

With significant new resources, the Libraries have the opportunity to be a research library exemplar. We can expand and enhance the current undergraduate curriculum to include research and information seeking skills in several courses (e.g., First Year Composition, University Seminars, and Arts and Letters core courses) and to provide instruction in the finding and use of a broad range of information, including numeric and image data. Our user education coordinator was selected for national three week study program. Four librarians are participating in a University of Michigan grant on incorporation of multimedia into library education programs. We want to create opportunities for students to participate in development of user instruction workshops and interactive tools.

One important goal is to provide more tools and support for subject librarians and branch librarians not in the Reference Department to enable them to expand their instruction activities. And, on campus, there are significant opportunities for collaboration with the Libraries and the Kaneb Center, the Office of Information Technologies and/or individual academic departments.

Additional resources are needed to fund a small expansion of staff (2-3 positions) with appropriate capitalization for computing equipment and professional development; to hire external expertise for the development of interactive instructional modules; and to provide classroom space and equipment.

3.2 Integrate library services into the delivery of courses. The Libraries are either effecting or considering a number of initiatives that take advantage of rapidly changing technology to enhance and contribute to classroom instruction and class assignments. An initiative that has already seen enormous success is the development of electronic course reserves. Both faculty and students embraced this development immediately upon its commencement. "Ask a Librarian" is an element that stands out on the Libraries' homepage and encourages users to contact a librarian whenever they have a question about using any of the Libraries' resources. It allows for a personal touch in an electronic environment. "What's New@the Library" will appear on the Libraries' homepage to alert users to new resources and services. The Libraries are presently exploring a concept called "MyLibrary" which will allow users to create a customized portal that identifies library resources that they have decided are most useful to their academic work.

3.3 Create a digital visual resources collection ($1 million). Images are essential to teaching in disciplines such as art history, design, architecture and anthropology. Based on the thousands of slides in the Snite Museum of Art, the Art Slide Library and the School of Architecture, we wish to create a digital collection that would deliver these images to faculty and students across campus for classroom use or personal study. This project would not only expand access to the image collections, but also foster interdisciplinary study and allow faculty to share visual material with students in a new way. Some of the images, like Architecture's exceptional lantern slide collection, are of outstanding research value both at Notre Dame and in the wider academy. Funding would cover project staff, hardware and software licensing to buld the DVRC over a five-year period.

Collaborative digitization and/or preservation, e.g., digital visual resources collections, with Snite Museum. The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is particularly interested in collaborative endeavors involving libraries and museums. Its grants are not limited solely to digitization or preservation activities, but it has a good record of grants in this area.

3.4 Develop services to Notre Dame alumni in partnership with the Alumni Association ($33,000 for database content and $33,000 for staff support). Initial discussions are underway to license access to electronic databases via a commercial service. The goal is to expand services to non-academic units on campus, e.g., the Career Center, and to provide reference services and document delivery (requires .5 FTE in added student support).

3.5 Endow positions for library faculty in areas of University priorities ($1.5 million per position): Catholic Studies, Peace Studies, Latino Studies, Ethics, Medieval/Byzantine Studies, Irish Studies, Latin American Studies, Philosophy, and Theology. These positions comprehend a broad range of functions relating to the respective subject areas, including collection development, reference, development of special services, cataloging and digital access, user instruction, and promotion of library components to Notre Dame and visiting scholars. These are existing positions in the library for which named positions would enhance the visibility of library collections and services, as well as enable greater support from within the Libraries.

3.6 Provide enhanced data services ($50,000 one time for startup hardware; $250,000 annually). The role of numeric and spatial data as essential components of information resources and the research process is increasing. There are a number of factors contributing to the importance of numeric and spatial data. Since the release of the 1990 and 2000 Census information as primarily aggregate and microdata resources, scholars at all levels have been afforded the opportunity to exploit digital information. The unprocessed nature of the data enables scholars to purse research of a unique, individually defined character. They are free to pursue the analysis and visualization of social and other phenomena that have significance for themselves as individual researchers. Spatial data are an equally important element of these powerful digital resources. Over 80% of data have a geographic or spatial component. Incorporating statistical and spatial resources and analytical methods within the curriculum introduces numerate and spatially literate graduates prepared to thrive in a contemporary, complex information society. The existing server would suffice, but $50,000 is needed to expand storage space and provided additional scholars' workstations. $25,000 per year is needed for acquisitions, and $50,000 per year for metadata/file/HTML preparation. Three staff (system designer, database/GIS Administrator, and data/GIS consultant) at $50,000-60,000 per year are needed to provide technical development and user assistance.

Section 4: Center for research and scholarship

While the Libraries provide a research center for the research and teaching missions of the University, inflation continually erodes the funds provided to support the library collections budget. The last 20 years have seen increasing costs across the whole array of library resources, but journals, in particular, have increased in cost far in excess of the Consumer Price Index. Between 1986 and 1998, Association of Research library materials budgets increased by an average of 115% while journal prices increased by 152% and monographs increased by 33%. During that period the Consumer Price Index increased by only 49%.

Libraries on most research university campuses have consistently continued to support journal subscriptions and have effectively shifted most materials expenditures from books to serials, thus implicitly supporting the sciences, and more recently the social sciences, to the detriment of the humanities, on many campuses. While Notre Dame has tried to balance these demands, the costs of journals have completely outstripped our ability to maintain the subscriptions considered necessary by our faculties, while simultaneously decreasing the acquisition of books and limiting our ability to seek special opportunities for unique acquisitions.

Library collections in many formats act as a physical and virtual center for information, delivery of resources, and provide one of the strengths of the University in support of academic excellence. Collections are developed in cooperation with the faculty and support the academic priorities and initiatives of the University. While most collections provide support for general discipline areas, our signature collections support those areas in which the University has significant historical investment, including endowed chairs, a history of academic excellence, and the continuing focus on the great issues facing humanity.

Library collections, both physical and virtual, and library services continue to ensure that information and sources of scholarly knowledge continue to be provided to our faculty, staff and students. While needs change over time and are more reflecting of specific programs at a specific period, the library will continue to enhance the effective delivery of resources through a mix of library-supplied collections and information resources and borrowing or purchasing information on request (information delivery).

Despite the current budget concerns and the inflationary spiral of all forms of information resources, the Libraries will seek to:

4.1 build research collections

4.2 build library collections, provide access to information resources, and deliver resources on request

4.3 capitalize new areas of faculty research through additional funds for library collections and information resources or document delivery

4.4 add a library component to each new endowed Notre Dame professorship

4.1 Build research collections (the library as laboratory) ($15 million - $750,000 annually).

The concept of "building to strength" has been influential at Notre Dame and Notre Dame has sought to take its place as a research library of consequence by building premier collections in those subjects where strong foundations existed. The Libraries strongest collections reflect the importance of the "library as laboratory" for specific disciplines as well as growing interdisciplinary areas, including Peace studies with a focus on human rights; Catholic studies; Irish studies, Latin American studies focusing on the civil society, Latino studies, a new programmatic direction; Early Christianity/Medieval/Byzantine studies; Philosophy and Theology. Within these areas there are very focused areas of excellence such as the Dante collection and the nascent Irish literature collection. To a great extent, these areas define our place in the international network of research libraries. However, in reviewing our collections of strength in the North American Title Count (an irregular report on collection sizes by general subject area) it is obvious that even our strongest collections require increased investment to reach the quality of support that has been achieved, or is aspired to, by our strongest departments.

High faculty interest, the success of previous campaigns, and the high priority of research at Notre Dame have certainly improved our holdings in specific areas, thus allowing us to provide a much stronger research infrastructure for specific departments and programs. While the Libraries have been able to provide the basic functions for the areas, there is a compelling need to digitize the collections, not only for ease of access, but to also provide the additional analytical capacity that digitization and text encoding provide. Without significant new funding, there is no possibility of program expansion and, in fact, inflation will curtail present programs.

Signature Academic Strengths important to the University: these areas encompass interdisciplinary, discipline based, and highly focused area studies:

Catholic Studies

Early Christian/Medieval/Byzantine Studies

Latin American Studies: civil society

Philosophy

Theology

Special Collections:

Dante

Spanish Inquisition Collection

English language collections in Sports history with an emphasis on United States current ephemeral materials

Gifts of both collections and funds have aided us greatly in the development of collections of depth and have also provided collections that would not have been on our list of priorities, but that have, in fact, added richness to specific areas.

The Libraries have received NEH funding for both preservation and as a beneficiary of NEH matching grants secured by specific academic programs. We will seek to continue this grant effort in support of our signature and related collections, both independently and in cooperation with other University areas.

4.2 Build library collections, provide access to information resources, and deliver resources on request (40 million endowment - $2 million annually). During the past academic year, the Libraries participated in an Association of Research Libraries multi institutional survey of library users. While the Notre Dame results were, in general, highly positive, faculty from 37 departments specifically identified collection growth as a high priority. These responses included comments from the sciences, social sciences, humanities and arts. Previous campaigns ha e been very successful in generating funds for some library collections and information resources, which must now be expanded by subject, by type of resource and by document delivery on request as a method of delivery. Faculty are requesting not only books and journals, in multiple formats, but also numeric, spatial, image and sound files. Access to knowledge resources through subscriptions, purchase or document delivery will have a positive affect on all research on campus, from undergraduate students to research faculty. Although our primary goal does not lie in developing extensive on-site library collections in all areas, even the cost of a single journal article or other documents on request is regularly in the one hundred dollar range.

When discussing collection strengths, the Libraries thinks of them at 4 levels:

1 we do not collect

2 basic reference

3 curricular support

4 research collections of depth and breadth.

The weakness of our general collections is widely recognized by the faculty and are an area of great concern for them. In addition to the lack of support for traditional disciplines, new program concentrations, new language and area studies programs that received no new funds when established, are in serious jeopardy, not only in terms of efficiency of faculty time, but for retention of faculty who are beginning their careers and are in the initial stages of seeking tenure. Among these areas, and reflecting priorities of departments and Deans, are

Chinese and Japanese studies, with a concentration on language and literature

Arabic studies, with a concentration on language and literature

Chinese, Japanese and Arabic studies each require dedicated librarian and staff support with language expertise. Each one requires, at a minimum, one librarian and one staff member. At present our acquisitions are very limited and are highly dependent on the investment of faculty time and effort to identify needed materials, assist in the identification of sources, and in some cases verify that what is received is what was ordered. The Libraries have no language expertise in these areas. In order to support these areas at even a basic level, we will need considerable retrospective funding and continuing funds for the acquisition of current imprints. We estimate that each requires a retrospective fund of $2-5 million and continuing funds of at least $100,000 per year to develop a basic research collection.

Chinese, Japanese and Arabic studies are, in general, at a 2 level at best. While our English language collections in these areas are good 3s, our vernacular language collections are barely visible.

The following programs all rate at a 3 level in most areas; however, the increasing research agendas of both students and faculty establish a much higher level of need for access to the literature and data sources. The level assigned implies that the collection as a whole is ranked at curricular; but it does not mean that some parts of it are not used in research.

Literature in support of basic biosciences/cancer research.

While we do not have a medical school per se, the increasing programs in basic biomedical areas require considerable support beyond what we are now able to provide. While some can be acquired through document delivery, the primary literature of the area is both expensive and critical to intense research programs.

New centers and research programs in engineering and technology

The establishment of new Centers in areas of engineering and some interdisciplinary programs in engineering and biosciences include a wide variety of materials, environmental, molecular, mechanical systems and other areas that bring new research and program agendas to the University. We are presently able to provide most of the journal literature required by these new areas through our electronic journal packages; however the basic print and online reference resources required by any applied or theoretical engineering program are sorely lacking and reflect the usual costly nature of science resources.

Social sciences and business

The social sciences have been a growth area within university programs in the last 10 years. Recognized as critical to the University mission, we are now seeing increases in costs for social science literature and data sources that is beginning to resemble the cost of science and technology resources. As our social science departments enhance their research agendas, the availability of data sources and journal literature becomes more important and as the use of statistical methodologies become more integrated into the undergraduate curriculum the importance of data sources reaches far beyond the current demands, which are still growing.

Although the College of Business does not have a PhD program, the MBA curriculum and the nature of the business faculty both require resources analogous to the social sciences. And business resources are as costly as many of the sciences.

Funds acquired would be used for the acquisition, cataloging and/or document delivery depending on the nature of the need. While funds for specific subjects lend high visibility to those subjects, the interdisciplinary and general applicability of information resources as well as the aggregate packaging now preferred by some publishers, make it highly desirable to attract broadly supportive endowments. Such endowments would make it possible to establish information programs that would cover a wide variety of subjects, across arts and letters, business, engineering, and sciences.

Arts and Letters humanities and social sciences collections

The College of Arts and Letters is supported by a number of collections, some of which rank at the 4, or solid research level, and most of which would be considered collections at a 3, or curricular level. The College wishes to develop strong core collections across its discipline areas in order to make research a productive process for undergraduates through senior faculty with the most efficient and effective means of delivery possible. This will require the acquisition of primary source materials in appropriate formats to support the broadest use.

We are planning to institute an assessment program for subjects that will allow us to view our progress in relation to that of other libraries in terms of collections growth. The North American Title Count allows us to track our shifts in funds in terms of titles acquired. While it does not provide a qualitative analysis, it does provide a quantitative measure that allows us to identify not only those areas in which we are making progress, but to also identify those areas that might require further assessment to evaluate the quality of the collection

4.3 Capitalize new areas of faculty research through additional funds for library collections and information resources, or document delivery. When new faculty are hired, they often bring in new strengths and areas of research. The University often supports their research not just with laboratories, research assistants or graduate students, but also through funds made available to the Libraries for the purchase of resources that support the individual faculty member's research, but that are owned by the Libraries. The College of Arts & Letters already recognizes the significance of this for new faculty and provides A&L funds for such purposes. However, the need is not just in Arts & Letters for library collections, often identified as the laboratories for the humanities, but also for access to electronic resources in the form of journals, articles and data. Adding these resources to the collection also essentially means additional cost in acquisitions, cataloging, preservation treatment and digital provision. Our estimate is that at least $25,000 should be provided directly to the Libraries for the annual support of the staff and costs necessary for processing such acquisitions.

4.4 Add a library resources component in each new endowed "premier" professorship. ($500,000 - $25,000 annually). Add a library resources component in each new endowed collegiate or University professorship ($250,000 - $12,500 annually). There is clear teaching and research faculty interest in such a program. Johns Hopkins University has clearly linked scholarship and library collections/access to electronic information resources/document delivery in support of that scholarship. The announced this new policy in November 2000 and put it into motion with the creation of the Blum-Iwry Professorship in Near Eastern studies.

Section 5: Intellectual commons

Even as the library works to develop the "virtual" library, the concept of the library as a place remains key to the services we provide and the role of the library in meeting the educational and research needs of the University community. The library should provide a secure, comfortable, and useable environment for students. The library should serve as a meeting place for faculty and students; it should provide an intellectual commons. We must adapt our facilities to provide for growth of the collection, support changing patterns of teaching and learning, and optimize the use of new technologies.

Towards that end, the Libraries will seek to:

5.1 complete the renovation of Hesburgh Library

5.2 renovate the branch libraries

5.3 develop a plan for long term space needs and incorporate off-site storage into the plan for meeting space needs

5.4 establish a digitization center, an eScholarship repository, and an institutional data repository

5.1 Complete the renovation of Hesburgh Library ($40 million). In planning for the renovation of Hesburgh Library, we imagined the library the University of Notre Dame will require in the 21st century. There is a Master Plan for the Theodore M. Hesburgh Library which documents program objectives and requirements, a phased approach to the renovation of the complete building and a budget for all phases. The dollar figure for the Hesburgh Library is taken from that document.

• Temperature and humidity control for preservation of collections
• Clarity of spatial and service organization, clear access to services and collections
• Proximity of teaching and reading space to special collections
• Effective working environment for library staff
• Expand collection housing
• Electronic teaching space
• Create intellectual commons spaces where faculty, students and staff can meet and/or study
• Add 24 hour study space

5.2 Renovate the branch libraries: Chemistry/Physics Library ($600K), Engineering Library ($1,000,000) and the Life Sciences Library ($500K) and Business Information Center ($200K). While the Master Plan is set in the context of the Hesburgh library building, this framework is descriptive of the needs for all of the libraries (perhaps excepting specific Hesburgh Library building needs, such as the HVAC for special collections, and the general HVAC/electrical overhaul). The Architecture Library and the Mathematics Library have been recently been renovated, thus their exclusion from this list. Each of the branch libraries listed above has unique but also overlapping characteristics. Inquiry-based education and the introduction of the critical use of information sources into students' development of theses and supporting arguments means greater integration between course work and library resources, and for collaboration between teaching and library faculty. We note, even now, an increase in group assignments which also involve intensive use of data. A library building which encourages these developments by appropriately equipped and designed training labs and study spaces will contribute much to the teaching mission of the University. The necessity for providing space for print collections in the branches exists, although there is a regular transfer of volumes to the Hesburgh Library. Provision of uncomplicated and swift access to needed resources regardless of location and assistance in their use is part of the Libraries' vision statement, and should govern the layout of a renovated library. Knowledgeable, efficient staff operations, both at the service points and behind the scenes make achievement of the Libraries' goals possible, and so cannot be neglected in designing space.

The branch libraries must be imaginatively redesigned in order to respond to the evolving needs of their users. The space must include collaborative study areas configured with public work stations, additional quiet study spaces, renovated staff areas, and wireless network capabilities.

5.3 Develop plan for long term space needs, incorporate off site storage into plan for meeting space needs, and construct additional library space ($40,000 to library base budget over a five year time period to cover costs for housing and preserving 400,000 Notre Dame-owned print volumes in a cooperative off-site book depository). Housing and preserving four hundred thousand volumes off-campus will extend the life of current library space for about six years beyond the current projection of mid-2009, which is the date when the effective shelving capacity (80%) will be reached. The cost estimate is based on current operating costs of Indiana University, Bloomington, where the second module of the Harvard-style depository is expected to be built. A second module is under consideration though there is no decision yet. The cost of building a local repository which could be shared by other campus units is likely be about $3-5 million dollars at present costs, and would generate annual operating and maintenance costs to the University as well. Assuming that the Libraries are able to store up to 400,000 volumes off-site, additional library space will be required by the year 2015.

5.4 Establish a digitization center, a digital library repository and an eScholarship repository ($3-5 million for startup - $200,000 annually). A digital repository is a digital archive of the intellectual product created by any University faculty or student, whether original works, library or other collections. There is a rapidly emerging interest and need for this in many places on campus - the library, the Graduate School, faculty journal editors, visual resource collections, the Office of Research. All of these units need a repository for long-term storage of data and "born digital works," collaborative works space, indexing, network delivery and access, and the preservation of digital data. The Libraries need to provide the University with a managed repository for online journals and other forms of eScholarship, research data, federal and corporate data, pre-prints, and digital access to certain library collections. This initiative will involve collaboration with the Office of Research and the Office of Information Technology.

Section 6: Creative and knowledgeable library organization

To fulfill its role as an information leader in support of the University''s ambitions for teaching, learning and research as stated in the Quest for Leadership, the University Libraries needs highly knowledgeable, skilled, flexible and creative library faculty and staff. The hyperinflation, commercialization, and "googlization" of information, can be either a threat or an opportunity. The library needs people who can see the opportunity, set a direction, align themselves, and generate the necessary motivation to convert challenges into information solutions.

Towards that end, the Libraries will seek to:

6.1 endow the Librarian-in-Residence program
6.2 endow the new diversity initiative, the Summer Program
6.3 create a program to bring librarians or masters degrees students to the libraries at Notre Dame

6.1 Endow the Librarian-in-Residence program ($1.5 million). The Librarian-in-Residence Program is a joint initiative of the University Libraries and the Kresge Law Library to attract librarians who can contribute effectively to the diversity of the profession and the University. Our two-year program offers a recent library school graduate the opportunity to experience various aspects of academic librarianship through real work assignments in various functional areas of both libraries, including opportunities for scholarship and professional development. To attract diverse candidates to Notre Dame in any academic discipline is a continuing challenge. This residency program is a singular effort to meet this challenge in the libraries. We hired our second resident, a superbly qualified African-American Catholic woman. Upon a successful application process, the first resident joined the regular library faculty as the Reference/ Latino Studies librarian, a new position.

The annual earnings on endowment will fund one resident's salary, benefits, and professional support as well as the capitalization to meet office needs, including computing.

6. 2 Endow the new diversity initiative, the Summer Program ($250,000). The University Libraries and the Kresge Law Library collaborated to provide summer employment as library student assistants to diverse South Bend high school students who intend to pursue college degrees following graduation. The program offers the students a view of academic librarianship as a profession. We were awarded a Library Administration and Management Association's 2002 Cultural Diversity Grant to spur our implementation of the program. The annual earnings on endowment will fund students' salaries for ten weeks during a summer, programming opportunities, and recognition plaques.

6.3 Create a program to bring librarians or master's degree students to the libraries at Notre Dame for professional experience or study as well as to send Notre Dame librarians to other libraries ($25,000 annually). This program would encourage the exchange and development of new ideas and perspectives in any aspect of library operations or librarianship, or in the theoretical underpinnings of the field. There is no master's degree program at Notre Dame; however, there are two programs in Indiana as well as programs in adjacent states from which students could be drawn. The program would also provide Notre Dame with the regular means for supporting library professionals already in other libraries, in North America or in other countries, to gain experience or pursue their study. Most recently, we hosted a librarian from Spain for 6 months. We hosted a preservation intern from the University of Texas at Austin and are hosting a data services intern from Florida State University.

Section 7: Rationalization and redirection of existing resources

While we believe some modest growth in library faculty and staff over the next decade is necessary, we also see significant potential to redirect our time and talents into those activities most important to us as well as to library users. We have identified four major avenues of pursuit that will help us redirect our collective energies to more important activities. I cannot with certainty point to specific whole positions that can be reassigned to other library activities; however, it is my firm belief that these strategies will lead to the recovery of some time from many library faculty and staff positions, and in that mode, with appropriate training for the development of new skills, we will be able to redirect some of our energies into new areas:

Reduce processing activities associated with handling print or microform journals, government documents, such as serial check-in, binding of serials to areas and redirect staff resources to activities associated with processing digital/electronic library materials, or into areas where more activity is desired, such as processing of document delivery requests, creating and maintaining access to electronic resources, creating and preserving new digital resources.

Leverage technology to increase library staff and faculty productivity, thus allowing greater use of their expertise and different uses of their time. There are many examples to be cited: redesign the library web site to incorporate relational database; use improved software for web page creation; use EDI-based services for invoicing books and journals; implement online ordering for books, journals and other library purchases; use ALEPH to generate gateway subject headings, etc.

Expand library services that empower users, such as the ability to check the status of interlibrary loan (ILL) requests, to renew books checked out, to check-out books independently of library staff, to capture bibliographic citations from other library catalogs for immediate creation of ILL requests. Empowering library users creates more timely and effective library services. Empowering library users also increases our ability to redirect library staff time into other important activities, e.g., to redirect their time from answering telephone queries about status of to creating new services or trouble shooting access problems on an even- more timely basis.

Create a culture of assessment within the Libraries not only for the purpose of regularly evaluating the usefulness of library services, but also for the purpose of regularly evaluating how library operations can be made more cost-effective. Such assessment will also include regular evaluation of library staff and faculty skills with a view to identifying areas where more or new training and education is required in support of new job activities.

Section 8: Assessment of library services, collections, information resources and facilities

We have used multiple opportunities and methods for assessing the Libraries performance over the last five years. Formal planning for renovation began with a series of focus group discussions with Notre Dame faculty and students in 1999. Their input on what is needed to make library space more accommodating and useful to them was incorporated into our stated objectives for the renovation (Master Plan, August 2000). Students regularly turn in their evaluations of library instruction workshops. While students respond positively to library instruction sessions held in Hesburgh Library's two classrooms, many report that they are overwhelmed by the abundance and complexity of library resources. New students still appreciate a physical tour of the building. Their input has led to more sessions being offered as "hands-on" sessions and expanding partnerships with teaching and research faculty for library instruction within individual courses. We have also sent a summary of that data to the University Coordinating Committee on Curriculum, together with best practices taken from current library instruction sessions in various courses.

In its role of providing oversight, the University Committee on Libraries (UCL) informs the Libraries about problems or concerns, advises on courses of action, publishes its minutes in the Notre Dame Report, and, commencing with the just completed year, reports annually to the Academic Council. This year, the Committee will report on several issues, including the importance of searching the Law Library and the University Libraries collections as one and the need for better access to the Center for Research Libraries collection. Also the committee will report on the need for the University to continue increasing the acquisition budget to meet inflation in the costs of books and journals and to capitalize new faculty with library funding.

As part of the regular University academic unit review cycle, we conducted our self study last year. To complete the self study, a distinguished Review Committee, comprised of three library deans or directors from Columbia, Vanderbilt, and Washington (St. Louis) Universities, and Professor Greg Sterling, held interviews with deans, faculty, library faculty and staff, students and University administrators and reviewed the full written report of the University Libraries. In its report dated November 26, 2001, the Review Committee made recommendations for developing library holdings, cultivating a greater role in the development of teaching and learning in the University, affirming the need for library space, and developing an experimental program with the faculty in the area of scholarly communication, all of which are "necessary for Notre Dame's library to be in a position to support a strong program of research" (p. 1). These documents are available to library staff via the library web site at: http://www.nd.edu/~adminoff/2001selfstudy/selfstudy2001.htm .

Early in 2002, the Digital Access and Information Architecture Department, a new library department, explored user interests and needs for web-based access to library services and information resources through a series of focus groups. Their findings underscore the great popularity of web-based services, while at the same time, illuminate user frustration with the current access tools.

In spring of this year, 183 Notre Dame faculty, 308 undergraduate students, and 255 graduate students responded to an electronic survey about the Libraries. The LibQUAL+ Survey, developed at Texas A&M under a federal research grant with national testing and validation of the survey instrument, measures library user satisfaction on four dimensions: access to information (collections, information resources and interlibrary loan), affect of service (willing, dependable, knowledgeable attention to questions and problems), library as a place, and personal control (convenient and easy access to library services and information resources) LibQUAL+ is grounded in the gap theory of service quality, which measures the difference between users' perceived and minimum scores to determine performance adequacy.

Faculty rated library performance as substantially below their expectations on three dimensions: access to information (the completeness of journal titles, comprehensive print collections, and interdisciplinary library needs), library as place (space for quiet study) and personal control (availability of electronic resources from home or office, a library website enabling location of information, easy to use access tools, and making information easily accessible for independent use). Neither undergraduate nor graduate students assessed the library as below their minimum expectations on any dimension, though graduate students were noticeably less satisfied than undergraduates on the completeness of book and journal collections, timely delivery of material requested via interlibrary loan, and remote access to library electronic resources. Overall, when the scores from all groups average into one score, there is a solid level of satisfaction with the library.

While further analysis is required, several key observations will guide both further investigation and immediate action. The dimension of personal control is the most important to all library users. They appreciate the services and information resources accessible via the library catalog and web site, but want easier to use access tools and more desk-top delivery of full-text information resources. Library users believe the library is not yet a research library because the library collections and information resources do not adequately support their teaching or research. Library users perceive library staff to be helpful and service oriented, though service on weekends and evenings is not always as knowledgeable as it is on week days. Last, despite the desirable and real presence of the virtual library, the physical library has not gone out of style. Library users want an appropriate mix of quiet and collaborative, comfortable space for working.

In direct preparation for our strategic planning, library faculty and staff met with academic unit chairs to discuss the department's aspirations for teaching and research and the role of library collections and services in supporting these aspirations. The overwhelming need identified by 37 units is to strengthen library collections and information resources. Twenty seven units identified the need for enhancing access, including easier renewal of books and improving the library catalog. Twenty one units called for better outreach to faculty as well as better partnering between the library and departments. Sixteen departments specified improved interlibrary loan and document delivery services. As the focus of remaining needs became more specific, the frequency of responses declined accordingly. Improving library instruction, improving library facilities with special mention of the audio-visual center, preserving print and digital collections, and exploring opportunities for intercultural and interdisciplinary work rounded out the list.

Library staff and faculty are central to the assessment process with a primary example seen in the self study, which was our assessment of and planning for library collections, services and programs. Ideas generated in recent brainstorming sessions reiterated by now familiar themes, such as improved communication within the library and with the University, enhanced marketing of library services and collections, the need for more bibliographic instruction programs, and improving access to library-supplied information resources, but also identified a wide range of new and additional services for library users and ways in which the library administration can support the initiatives of library departments. On a regular basis, library faculty and staff assess and incorporate the input of library users into their department goals and objectives.

From these assessment efforts, we have learned that with the infusion of funds for collections and staff, the library has made very substantial progress toward supporting a robust research agenda at Notre Dame, but that additional and sustained efforts are required. We have learned we must expand our collaboration with other libraries, individually and through consortia, to be a successful research library. We have learned that access to information and knowledge, in the form of library collections, information resources, interlibrary loan and just-in-time acquisition of books and articles; easy access through library catalogs and web sites to information resources and library services; knowledgeable assistance; and useful, inviting space for study and teaching are very important to Notre Dame faculty and students. We see where there are gaps between what they want and what we deliver. We have collected many good ideas from ourselves about meeting library user needs and know that a better quality work environment, physically and organizationally, is a positive factor in supporting us as we work toward creating the best blend of library collections, information resources and services for Notre Dame. Last, but not least, we see that we can address and improve some problems using our own resources and expertise, with appropriate setting of priorities, development of new skills and/or redirection of resources, while more extensive progress, or meaningful progress in other areas, is dependent on new resources.

Closing remarks

We are setting important strategic directions for the University Libraries and I am confident of our ability to create a great library at Notre Dame. We have a knowledgeable and creative library faculty and staff, committed to excellence at Notre Dame.

Report on University Libraries Strategic Planning, November 7, 2002

Appendix 1 - Draft Strategic Plan for the University Libraries

(areas and directions only)

The Library as Facilitator of Learning and Teaching

Direction 1. Assume a leadership role in enhancing services to support traditional and innovative ways of teaching and learning.

Direction 2. Transform services to meet changing user needs and expectations

Direction 3. Create and support clear and seamless access to library services, collections, and other information resources

Direction 4. Develop services to make users more productive

Direction 5. Assume a leadership role in promoting and teaching research and information seeking skills as a basis for lifelong learning

B. The Library as a Center for Research and Scholarship

Direction 1. Evaluate, develop, and align the library's collections with current University programs and priorities, through collaboration and renewed outreach with schools colleges and academic departments.

Direction 2. Identify strategic partnerships that support collection development and scholarly communication

Direction 3. Ensure a focused preservation program to ensure the long-term usefulness of library resources

Direction 4. Inform the University's academic units and faculty about the library's ability to provide resources to meet their information needs and determine from them which programs are considered to be areas of strength and excellence

Direction 5. Promote the library and its resources to increase visibility in the larger academic community

C: The Library as an Intellectual Commons

Direction 1. Make the libraries more comfortable and appealing

Direction 2. Arrange collections and service points logically to facilitate their use

Direction 3. Provide an appropriate variety of spaces for library users.

Direction 4. Develop staff work spaces that are efficient and logically arranged

Direction 5. Develop a comprehensive infrastructure for proven leading-edge technological needs

Direction 6. Address the space needs of the libraries.

D. The Library as a Creative and Knowledgeable organization

Direction 1. Recruit, train, and effectively utilize library employees in a flexible manner that acknowledges the evolving nature of our work and the changing demands of our users

Direction 2. Foster an organic culture that enables the libraries to adapt to the evolving University identity and to be relevant in the future

Direction 3. Optimize organizational structure to support library programs and initiatives

Direction 4. Develop a user-centered culture that guides the library informs all library policies, procedures, and decisions

Appendix 2 - University Libraries statement of specific goals

There are specific goals embedded in the library strategic plan which I have not repeated here. The goals listed below are those requiring additional funding.

1) Double the number of currently offered research and information skills instructional opportunities in the curriculum. Progress can be measured through counting the number of courses. Progress will additionally be measured through student and faculty evaluations of the usefulness of the course segments.

2) Develop library collections to the research level and/or expand document delivery on request in an appropriate balance across disciplines in support of research and scholarship.

The first measure is the North American title count to determine progress in expanding collection size. The second measure is faculty satisfaction to be assessed through a national research library survey instrument biennially, which will assess their level of satisfaction in access to information (collections, interlibrary loan and document delivery). We conducted the survey in April 2002 and this will serve as the benchmark data.

3) Develop a Digital Visual Resources Collection. Progress will be measured as digital collections become available at ND. The effectiveness will be measured through user surveys.

4) Expand the data collections and instruction available to students and faculty on using geospatial data. Data acquisitions can easily be counted as can the amount of instruction available. Success will be measured through user surveys.

5) Developing and achieving program goals based on library space renovation are dependent on funding for any renovation, and the goals are not included here.

6) Establish a digital library and eScholarship repository. Measure user satisfaction to access to information through the national survey mentioned in number 2. Assess progress on the library's ability to archive and preserve digital information, particularly that created from Notre Dame library collections.

7) Monitor the physical growth rate in collections annually and develop a long term space plan for all campus libraries. Progress will be assessed in the development of a long term space plan that results in additional space when needed. Projections now indicated new library space will be required by 2015.

8) Continue the librarian -in-residence program. Measure success in our ability to attract highly qualified candidates on a regular two year cycle.

9) Continue to host library school interns on a regular basis. Measure progress by our ability to attract highly qualified interns and success through the student and school's satisfaction level with the experience at ND.

Report on University Libraries Strategic Planning, November 8, 2002 (revised)

Appendix 3 - Summary Table of priorities and required funding amounts

Note: Almost all of the initiatives mentioned in this report require funding. There are many other

initiatives included in the library's strategic plan, for which the overview of areas and directions is attached.