IV. Strategic Goals for 2018-23

1. Emphasize High Quality Services and Expertise

a. At OSULP, we are deeply committed to service, which we define broadly and proactively. This commitment informs our users’ experiences of our physical and virtual spaces as well as our teaching, scholarship and publishing. We will continue to create a user experience that is welcoming, inclusive, inspiring, comfortable and productive.

b. We contribute a unique combination of skills and expertise to our communities. Our services are stronger when they’re grounded in that expertise and when we can use what we know to support our communities. We’ll focus our energy on finding ways to apply our expertise to help the members of our communities to accomplish their goals and enrich their lives.

 

2. Build and Strengthen Relationships

a. At OSULP, we believe that our contributions to our communities and to our professions are rooted in the relationships that we build. As a library and press, we occupy a unique place in the university, and one that allows us to reach across disciplinary boundaries and organizational structures. More than any other unit at this university, we can bring people together, bridge gaps and break down silos.

b. We aspire to ground our work in maintaining user privacy while increasing accessibility, openness and inclusion. We will find opportunities to lead by bringing individuals and groups together to work on important issues. We will build relationships across the state and beyond, to support OSU’s land, sea, space, and sun grant missions. We will use our professional relationships to build our expertise, expand our programs and increase our impact. We will engage our communities in co-creative projects to improve our services and spaces, and enrich our users’ experiences.

 

3. Reward Experimentation and Support Continuous Improvement

a. At OSULP, we take pride in finding creative solutions to complex challenges. To succeed, we cannot be afraid to fail. We will create structures to reward excellence and experimentation at all levels of the organization, and to collect and use the lessons learned from trial and error. We will build support for iterative development, research and testing, and emphasize habits of transparency, mindfulness and critical reflection in our work and planning.

 

4. Practice Active and Respectful Stewardship

a. At OSULP, we are committed to supporting, preserving, sharing and honoring the cultural and intellectual output of our communities and the universe of information. As an organization, we must also take care of the people that make us who we are by nurturing healthy work environments, work-life balance and opportunities for growth and learning. So, too, must we deliberately and wisely steward the physical, digital, economic and natural resources entrusted to us.

b. Respectful, ethical, and active stewardship is rooted in listening, in deepening and honoring relationships, and in responding proactively from the foundation of our mission, vision, values, experience and expertise. We will listen to our communities — both internal and external — with open minds, and use what we find to continue building OSU Libraries and Press into a place where people can do extraordinary work. We will strive to balance the needs of the present with the needs of the future, such that we respond nimbly, flexibly and vigorously to existing challenges and opportunities while building a strong Libraries and Press for the future.