Charge

The Task Force will develop a plan to guide the continuing evolution of the University Libraries over the next 10 years, with the understanding that the plan will be revisited during that period as circumstances change. The term “University Libraries” as used in this charge is broadly defined to include the Bizzell Memorial Library, its branches and special collections, with its current and archived scholarly works in both paper and electronic form, and the methods of access to those works. In order to be successful, the development of plan requires the flow of information between the stakeholders and the Task Force at appropriate stages of planning. 

The charge of the task force encompasses, but is not limited to, the following three areas.

1.  The present state of the University Libraries
This topic defines an initial information-gathering phase.  The Task Force will examine how the resources of the University Libraries are currently used by faculty, students, distance learners and other off-campus users.  The Task Force will also examine how the usage by these groups has changed in the last five years. This five-year retrospective will provide a starting guidance in planning for the future. The Task Force will also examine the Libraries’ budgetary structure, the academic degree programs that the University Libraries is obligated to support and the Libraries’ staffing levels.

2.  Goals and objectives 
In order to articulate the goals and objectives of the Task Force, it is first necessary to identify changes (technological shifts, emerging disciplines, projected student enrollments, University revenue trends, structure of the University, etc.) that are expected to affect the nature of resources available, how consumers will access those resources and the best estimate of what those changes might cost to implement. The Task Force should provide this information to the faculty and students for their consideration and response. With detailed input from all consumers, the Task Force will then develop an integrated vision of the University Libraries in 2016 that will define goals and specific objectives.

 3.  Action plans
After defining specific objectives and their associated costs, the Task Force will develop action plans to accomplish those objectives.  The objectives should be laid out on a timeline so that the necessary planning (including fiscal planning) can occur. The Task Force will also develop a mechanism to prove “mid-course” corrections during the process as needed.

Membership