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UC Merced Library Assessment

Assessment and planning documentation

Area of Strategic Focus: Collections

The library will pro​vide quality information resources to support users’ teaching, learning, research, and service.

Goals Status Resources Needed Challenges SAF Connection
Maintain:            
Quality collections to support academic programs. Operational: Assess, maintain, improve. Campus funding that grows with programs and populations. Inflationary pricing. Encouraging stakeholders to think about information resources in non-traditional ways. All
Responsive, convenient discovery and access to information resources. Operational: Assess, maintain, improve. Collaboration with computer scientists, instructional technologists, and industry. Complexity of scholarly information. Reliance on vendor systems. TBD
Create:        
Partnerships with faculty to build collections supporting new and growing programs Operational: Assess, maintain, improve. Campus funding that grows with programs and populations. Inflationary pricing. Encouraging faculty stakeholders to think about information resources in non-traditional ways. TBD
Capacity and formal agreements to enable sharing of special collections. Strategic aim. Political will and support: UC system and beyond. Intractable attitudes about library collections and sharing of information. Protective ownership vs. access. TBD
A local, retrospective collection to address academic program needs. Implementation contingent on collection funding. One Career Staff (LP 4). Sustained campus funding. Acquiring funding from campus. Identifying core titles. Obtaining some older works. Balancing print format with digital availability. All
Sustainable models for open-access scholarly publishing in collaboration with UC Libraries. Implement by 2017. Funding and administrative support for open access publication. Obtaining funding. Publisher-driving legislation. Changing faculty attitudes about publication and metrics for promotion & tenure. Few incentives for faculty for less traditional forms of publication.

TBD

Area of Strategic Focus: Research & Learning Services

The UC Merced Library provides learning ​and research services that support faculty and student access to high quality information and help students develop as capable, independent researchers. 

Goals Status Resources Needed Challenges SAF Connections
Maintain:        
Instruction and reference services to support academic needs. Operational: Assess, maintain, improve. Teaching & Learning Librarian (Assoc Lib); Research & Instruction Librarian (Assoc. Lib). Too few librarians to keep pace with course growth and potential faculty collaborations. All
Quality, targeted communications to increase awareness of library resources and services. Operational: Assess, maintain, improve. Communications Coordinator (LA); Outreach & Student Engagement Librarian (Assoc Lib.). Obtaining salary lines. Space. All
Create:        
Integrated info lit course instruction model with WRI 10, as Assessment in Action program. Implement by 2015. Graduate Student Assistant (GSA). Finding funding to hire qualified GSAs. Sufficient campus quantitative assessment support for teaching/learning initiatives.
TBD
"Super tutors": peer educators with skills in writing, research, and feedback, w/campus partners. Strategic Aim. Implement by 2016. Staff time to train and supervise. Finding and funding qualified students. Hiring or training students across campus units.  TBD
Articulated information literacy outcomes for all academic programs in alignment w/WASC requirements. Implement by 2016. Staff time to do the work. Partnerships. Workload. Establishing collaborations with academic programs. All
Professional opportunities for grad students: mentoring, project management, research practices, data literacy. Implement by 2016. Funding to hire grad students. Finding and supervising grad students. TBD
Technology-based learning tools and evaluation of effectiveness for research and learning. Strategic Aim. Open timeline. Instructional Support Manager (Career Staff). Securing funding for this salary line.

All

 

Area of Strategic Focus: Digital Assets

The UC Merced Library assures long-term digital access to intellectual assets through curation and preservation, and by promoting effective information management practices among scholars.

Goals Status Resources Needed Challenges SAF Connection
Maintain:        
Current digitization capabilities in support of instruction and research. Operational: Assess, maintain, improve. Digital Assets Librarian (Assoc Lib), funding to maintain operations. Copyright issues. Workload to identify sources and clear rights. Opportunity to transform practices to promote open educational resources. All
Local and institutional digital assets (Clark Center collection, University Archives, ETDs, etc.) Implement UCLDC by 2016. Digital archivist/metadata specialist (Asst Lib), funding for ongoing costs. Emerging standards. Limited workload capacity. Need for ongoing curating/maintenance; sustainable business models. All
Create:        
Infrastructure, policy, governance, curation for campus research data, w/ campus partners Strategic aim. Implement by 2016. Post-docs, GSA, funding. Establishing campus partnerships. Securing funding and political will. All
Open access scholarly resources to support learning and research needs. Strategic aim. Implement by 2016. Scholarly Communications Librarian (Assoc Lib), Postdocs, GSAs, funding. Adherence to traditional teaching and publication models, such as the textbook. Securing funding and political will. All

Stories of the San Joaquin digital museum.

  • Mark Arax Oral Histories.

  • Collections relating to Cooperative Extension in California.

  • Yamato Colony Digital Museum.

 Strategic aim. Open timeline. SA, GSA, Post-docs, funding for the work and ongoing costs. Securing funding and political will. Space TBD
Digital primary research resources related to the themes of food, water, energy, and health. Strategic aim. Open timeline. SA, GSA, Post-docs, funding for the work and ongoing costs. Establishing campus partnerships. Securing funding and political will. Space. TBD
Digitization Center of Excellence in collaboration with UC Libraries. Strategic aim. Open timeline. SA, GSA, Post-docs, funding for the work and ongoing costs. Establishing UC partnerships. Building capacity. All
Program/services in collaboration with SpARC to support geospatial information. Strategic aim. Open timeline. Expertise, collaboration with SpARC, funding. Establishing campus partnerships. Securing funding for increased capacity, and political will.

TBD