The Drew University Libraries and Special Collections partner with their diverse user communities by engaging in new and collaborative approaches to support information access, research, and scholarship and to advance the University’s mission.
Our Vision: The University Libraries and Special Collections seek to create comfortable spaces of connection, collaboration and community as the hub of learning and the foundation for academic endeavors in our community. We will focus on dynamic partnerships with our stakeholders to help create and share intellectual and imaginative works, providing and supporting activities that stimulate curiosity and creativity in the world.
STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS, 2023-2025
1. Rebuild our library community.
- Engage in outreach activities raising library awareness/support.
- Build partnerships with alumni, donors and other key campus organizations to raise awareness of the potential for the library as a dynamic partner.
- Develop programming that includes DEIA perspectives; create inclusive spaces.
2. Prepare the library for long-range improvements and more efficient use of its space.
- Review ways to make library spaces welcoming/accessible.
- Transition our FDLP status from physical items to digital holdings; remove remaining physical items from existing space.
- Establish a budget plan that accurately reflects the library’s needs and objectives, and effectively communicates these to university administrators and other stakeholders.
- Work closely with the university’s development office and other stakeholders to ensure the library is effectively integrated into the overall capital campaign strategy.
- Strategically reshape our monograph collection with the goal of ensuring our holdings reflect the needs of our academic community.
- Continue to manage physical and digital collections through collaborative development and data-driven decision making, including usage statistics and loan-vs.-purchase programs.
- Investigate and implement, wherever possible, open access and open source resources.
3. Develop a strategic information literacy program.
- Create asynchronous flexible and interactive learning opportunities.
- Support personalized learning and relationships with reference and instruction personnel.
- Integrate library involvement in strategic points of the student learning experience.
4. Improve Library and Special Collections funding.
- Advocate for improved funding for monographs and systems.
- Seek alternative funding sources.
- E.g., grants and external partnerships.
- Work with Drew Advancement to identify and offer opportunities for donor recognition and stewardship.
5. Develop a digital library environment to meet the needs of 21st Century learners.
- Implement an institutional repository to better tell the story of Drew to a global audience.
- Create a data repository to meet requirements of internal and external partners.
- Collect and manage digital objects for long term preservation and access, including publications, repositories of photographs and audio files.
- Expand digitization and digital archival collection building within our Mission.