Strategic Planning

Just what is a strategic plan and why is it important?

Simply put, a strategic plan is a road map that helps an organization get where it wants to be within a specified time frame. Our current strategic plan covered the years 2007-2012, and with 2012 just around the corner, it's time for an update. Creating our new plan will be a major initiative of the libraries for the coming academic year, and the plan will be launched next Fall.

The process for the creating our plan is outlined on the Strategic Planning wiki page, if you want to take a look.

The next stage of the process is the environmental scan, which is an opportunity to look at all the factors which will influence our to-be-created plan. In order to do this, process organizers will be meeting with each department and getting their impressions on a number of topics. The questions they will be asking include:

1. How did our current strategic plan play a role in your department's/committee's accomplishments?

2. Are there parts of our current strategic plan that we still need to address?

3. What changes have there been in your user groups or work groups?

4. What top five things are you seeing on the horizon for your department/ field?

5. What recommendations do you have for adjusting and adapting to changes in the next five years?

6. What are the new ideas in your department/field that should be included in the 2013-2018 Strategic Plan?

So, take a look at our current plan. In my opinion, we have actually made a sizable dent in the proposed actions, a dent we wouldn't have made if we didn't lay out the map to begin with. Give some thought to these questions, since they will be important to making our next road map a plan we can accomplish!

Service, Collaboration and Innovation

I learned this week that four individuals from Access Services were nominated for the prestigious Dean's Award. The Dean's Award was created by NYU's Division of Libraries to recognize extraordinary achievements in support of service, collaboration, and/or innovation. I'm incredibly proud that our department stands out in these areas. More information on this award is posted at http://library.nyu.edu/recognition/deans_award.html. Many thanks to everyone who took the time to make nominations.

Congratulations to Circ for catching up with the return backlog despite a couple of setbacks--scarce student assistants and a couple of Aleph failures didn't make this task any easier. Everyone rolled up their sleeves and got this done! I was also thrilled to see Reserves staff lending a hand for check-in and LP staff volunteering for exit duty so student workers could be dedicated to check-in. ILL and Stacks continue to push through the return onslaught and are making good progress--both by working hard and accepting the help of other units. Offsite has been busy getting a jump on the 9th floor and has recently begun the removal of over 170,000 low-use volumes from the 8th floor. This massive Offsite effort may offer more opportunities for collaboration for Access Services staff.

The Knowledge Exchange is really all about service, collaboration and innovation. Access Services encompasses very different units, but we are all part of the same whole. I see that as people work together to get projects done. And I think it's great!