Strategic Plan, 2021-2026

The Kelly Library Strategic Planning Committee is pleased to present the library’s new strategic plan, Enriching Minds, Cultivating Belonging, which will guide the library from 2021 to 2026.

A word on the plan’s structure

Enriching Minds, Cultivating Belonging is comprised of four strategic priorities, which are fixed for the duration of the plan. These priorities broadly support USMC’s larger guiding plan, St. Mike’s 180: Rooted in the Future, at the highest level of the plan and guide the library’s work.

Within each strategic priority are a series of goals. These goals support the stated priorities by outlining how each priority will be realized. Goals answer the “How?” for each priority. Goals are fixed for the duration of the plan and are set at the institutional level; goals explicitly support St. Mike’s 180.

Finally, objectives support goals at a more granular level; several objectives may support a single goal. Objectives are measurable, contextual to the changing operating environment of the institution, and are set at both the team level and the individual librarian level on an annual basis.

Enriching Minds, Cultivating Belonging

This plan is guided by an overall mission for the Kelly Library:

Bringing people together with exceptional services, spaces, and collections to support a diversity of intellectual pursuits.

Kelly Librarians and staff  will engage with our users and stakeholders to enhance the learning and research experience of the USMC and University of Toronto communities.

This priority supports strategic priorities 1 and 2 of St. Mike’s 180.

Goals
Sample Objectives
Alignment with St. Mike’s 180
1.1 Diversify and internationalize services and collections to address gaps in equity, diversity, and inclusion.
1.1.1 Build relationships by hosting outreach initiatives targeting international students.
1.1.2 Review collection mandates and policies.
1.1.3 Develop library programming that exceeds our users’ needs.
1.1.4 Review and benchmark current student research support services against students’ needs.
1.1.5 Review UTL’s Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Statement noting areas of impact and align Kelly’s programming.
Priority 1, Goals 1, 2, and 4.
Priority 2, Goal 3.
1.2 Support the implementation, and effective use, of innovative technologies to support student and faculty education and research.
1.2.1 Explore and define the library’s capacity in digital humanities.
1.2.2 Leverage online technologies to improve student access to research assistance and information literacy education.
1.2.3 Promote the use of library resources through increased digitization efforts and online description.
Priority 1, Goals 1, 2, and 4.
Priority 2, Goal 1.
1.3 Support student learning and research excellence.
1.3.1 Expand student experiential learning opportunities.
1.3.2 Develop consistently applied assessment mechanisms while also ensuring flexible forms of assessments that align with diverse learners.
1.3.3 Explore best practices in online instruction and online research consultations.
Priority 1, Goals 1 and 5.
Priority 2, Goals 1 and 4.
1.4 Develop collections that meet and exceed our users’ information needs.
1.4.1 Build collections representative of our users and their needs.
1.4.2 Explore and discuss collection development in the areas of eBooks and streamed content.
1.4.3 Build rare book and archival collections that meet our users’ needs.
Priority 1, Goal 5.
Priority 2, Goals 1, 2, and 3.
1.5 Create spaces within the library to support student learning.
1.5.1 Improve accessibility within the library space by incorporating principles of universal design in all new construction and renovation projects.
1.5.2 Define and meet the physical space need of our users for study, research, and social uses.
1.5.3 Review our teaching and learning spaces in the library considering developments in our online instruction, research consultations, and writing instruction.
Priority 1, Goals 1, 4, and 5.
Priority 2, Goals 1, 2, and 4.

Building strong relationships across the entire USMC community, the University of Toronto, and among students is core to our work. Kelly librarians and staff  collaborate to support current relationships; facilitate a sense of belonging among our patrons; and develop new relationships that support campus initiatives. 

This priority supports strategic priorities 1 and 2 of St. Mike’s 180. 

Goals
Sample Objectives
Alignment with St. Mike’s 180
2.1 Strengthen and support current and/or underdeveloped relationships with stakeholders including faculty, USMC administration and departments; TST; UTL; PIMS; Regis College; Sheptytsky; Resident Language Departments, students; student organizations; etc. 
2.1.1 Build purposeful collaborations between the library and faculty and students, in relations to research, teaching, and learning needs. 
2.1.2 Explore, with the direction and support of the College Principal, the relationship between the college and the resident language programs.
2.1.3 Contribute to the Regis/USMC implementation plan to ensure a smooth integration of library collections and that adequate staffing and resources are provided to support the merger of the libraries, both in the long- and short-term. 
Priority 1, Goals 1 and 4.
Priority 2, Goals 1, 2, 4, and 5.
2.2 Create avenues and mechanisms to strengthen or build new relationships and community partnerships.
2.2.1 Communicate with other UofT libraries related to instruction, collection development, public services, and acquisitions. 
2.2.2 Identify groups or institutions with whom to partner (similar goals, programming, services, etc.) such as Bibliographical Society of Canada, Canadian Conservation Institute, iSchool’s Book History and Print Culture Program, etc. 
Priority 1, Goal 1.
Priority 2, Goals 4 and 5.
2.3 Develop tighter partnerships with USMC initiatives through the library’s participation in campus and stakeholder events, planning, and development.
2.3.1 Develop programming in support of USMC outreach initiatives to raise institutional visibility among students and stakeholders. 
2.3.2 Support USMC objectives that impact library services and operations. 
Priority 1, Goals 1 and 5.
Priority 2, Goals 1, 3 and 5.

A core tenet of the academic library is to provide efficient, equitable, and clearly defined access to information. The Kelly Library will strive to enable access to its collections and those of the University of Toronto Libraries by removing barriers to access, communicating with our users, and maintaining our collections for future use. 

This priority supports strategic priorities 1, 2, and 3 of St. Mike’s 180.

Goals
Sample Objectives
Alignment with St. Mike’s 180
3.1 Identify and remove barriers that prevent access to library resources, collections, and services. 
3.1.1 Invest in, and leverage, current technologies to enhance equitable access, sustainability, usage and preservation of our collections; 
3.1.2 Expand online/virtual descriptive tools to increase access to described materials. 
3.1.3 Manage processing and cataloguing backlog to improve patron access to materials. 
3.1.4 Prioritize archival processing and digitization to improve researcher access to materials.  
Priority 1, Goals 1, 2, and 4.
Priority 2, Goals 1 and 3.
Priority 3, Goals 2, 3, and 4.
3.2 Clearly and proactively communicate information about library services and collections to user communities.
3.2.1 Improve internal and external communications about library accomplishments, services, and collections to leverage expertise and foster collaboration.  
Priority 1, Goal 5.
Priority 2, Goals 2, 4 and 5.
3.3 Care for the library’s physical and digital collections guided by professional preservation and conservation standards to ensure continued access to rare materials.
3.3.1 Commit to the longevity of the physical materials of the library through the development of a conservation program.
3.3.2 Maintain relevancy of the collection through judicious deselection of materials. 
Priority 1, Goal 4.
Priority 3, Goals 2 and 3.

Supporting the institutional excellence of the Kelly Library ensures the library can offer the best services, collections, and supports to our students and stakeholders. Professional development, updated spaces and technologies, an efficient organization, and resources will allow the Kelly Library to be a leader within the University of Toronto Libraries system. 

This priority supports strategic priorities 1, 2, and 3 of St. Mike’s 180. 

Goals
Sample Objectives
Alignment with St. Mike’s 180
4.1 Commit to ongoing staff professional development and education.
4.1.1. Build staff capacity to recognize barriers underrepresented students face when accessing information online and in the library.
4.1.2 Identify areas of staff training that will enhance student learning and experiences in the library (e.g., EDI, technology, Indigenous learning, open access, leadership, change management, etc.).
4.1.3 Build expertise in support of scholars’ projects requiring library resources.   
Priority 1, Goals 1, 2, 3, and 5.
Priority 2, Goals 1 and 3.
Priority 3, Goals 2, 3, and 4.
4.2 Provide spaces, equipment, tools, and technology necessary for Kelly librarian and staff excellence.
4.2.1 Identity and provide the tools and resources necessary for staff excellence.
4.2.2 Develop and improve workspaces to support staff needs and workflow excellence.   
Priority 1, Goals 3 and 4.
Priority 2, Goal 2.
4.3 Continually review and optimize organizational efficiency and effectiveness.
4.3.1 Set up a review process for periodic assessment and evaluation of library structures, services, programs, and projects.
4.3.2 Develop the means to collect information necessary to inform decision-making by Improving library data collection and analysis.
4.3.3 Ensure the institutional structure of the library meets the needs of internal and external stakeholders.
Priority 1, Goals 1 and 4.
Priority 2, Goals 1 and 3.
Priority 3, Goal 3.
4.4 Increase institutional impact and visibility within the information professions.
4.4.1 Increase global visibility of Kelly Library’s unique collections and services.
4.4.2 Research and apply for grants to support library initiatives and campus collaborations.
4.4.3 Support growth in the information professions through hosting internships and facilitating student learning.
Priority 1, Goals 1, 2, and 5.
Priority 2, Goals 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
Priority 3, Goals 3 and 4.