LIS Priorities: Spring 2010

We posted this in the spring of 2010

Services, Infrastructure, Programs

  1. Wireless improvements: We are working to improve the performance and reach of the wireless network.
  2. Google apps: exploring whether or not we should migrate away from Exchange to Google Apps for Higher Ed
  3. Segue from segue: We are evaluating options for a system or set of connected systems to replace Segue.
  4. Music library plan: We are developing a plan for potentially moving the music library into the main library as a means of consolidating collections and having more of our staff working in the same building.
  5. Information literacy plan: As part of the reaccreditation process, we are looking at how we approach information and technical literacy and its integration into the curriculum, with an eye towards developing a proposal for how we approach this.
  6. Website usability testing: Having launched the new website, we are now testing the usability of the site in order to assess how successful the site is in meeting the goals we set out to accomplish with the new site.
  7. Search strategy: As part of the new website, we are looking at how search works, and exploring what our options are to improve the search function for the site.
  8. Security and privacy and the cloud: As part of our evaluation of Google apps, we are doing research into the security and privacy issues that arise when shifting data from local systems to systems hosted by vendors.
  9. Identity management : As part of our overall efforts to have systems that provide access to our services based on roles within the College, we are evaluating systems that allow this information to be stored in an ‘identity vault’ that our systems can check in order to decide what sort of access to provide to an individual.
  10. Course catalog : In collaboration with the Dean of Curriculum, we are developing a more interactive version of the online course catalog, and a simplified version of the printed catalog.
  11. Printer consolidation/management : We are doing an inventory of printers and copiers on campus as part of a project to reduce the number of devices on our network to save money and to reduce our carbon footprint.
  12. Data warehouse evaluation: We are exploring options for providing access to institutional data through a ‘data warehouse’ that provides a simplified view into Banner and other data to make reporting and analysis easier to do.
  13. Efficiency task force : We are leading a campus-wide effort to look at how the College might operate more efficiently through the more effective use of technology.
  14. Open access : We are planning a campus-wide conversation about open access that we hope will lead to the faculty considering open access legislation that will encourage if not insist on faculty making their publications available through an open repository.

Strategic Planning

  1. Strategic plan website: We are posting to the web our strategic planning process that lists out our priorities, goals, projects, and our progress in achieving these results.
  2. Finalizing and tracking goals : As part of our overall strategic planning process, we are developing a set of short-term (18 months) goals for the organization.
  3. Project directory : As part of the strategic plan website, we are developing a project directory that lists all major LIS projects, with descriptions, resources used, offices and constituencies served, and time-line.
  4. Multi-year budget for capital and operating budgets : We are developing a multi-year budget to support our strategic plan and our on-going operational commitments. This budget links our capital and operating needs, and will ensure that we don’t take on projects for which we don’t have the necessary on-going financial resources to maintain.
  5. Prioritization process : Linked to our efforts to document our projects, we are looking at the process that we use to set priorities at both a micro and macro level.

Organizational Development and Assessment

  1. Launch 3 new teams: We will be forming three new teams to support space planning, training & education, and security.
  2. Staffing plan : Following the loss of 25 positions within LIS, we have developed a staffing plan approved by the Staffing Resource Council that will result in a set of external hires, internal promotions, and transfers.
  3. Reaccreditation : As part of the campus-wide reaccreditation committee, we are preparing a section of the reaccreditation report having to do with library and technology resources.
  4. Communications: We are looking at how we communicate both internally within LIS and to the rest of the Middlebury community with an eye towards improving the way we inform ourselves and our constituents about what is going on.
  5. Assessment : We are establishing a schedule for a regular assessment of our major services. The first set of services to be assessed will be desktop support, special collections, interlibrary loan, and security

 

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