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Agenda Item 2: (Bill Nelson, leader) – Review
of ASU Strategic Plan & Reese Library Role in Student Retention
Initiative
As requested by Dr. Sullivan, Reese Library staff
reviewed the ASU Strategic Plan. Here are the results of that review,
which was conducted at a general meeting of the Library faculty and staff
on February 1, 2006. These minutes reflect not only suggestions
regarding the ASU Strategic Plan, but also reflect the Library’s role
in the new Student Retention Initiative.
[Note: Specific
recommendations are in BOLDFACE type.]
The following statements from the ASU Strategic Plan
were identified as being reflected in the Reese Library mission and
strategic plan:
B. Mission Statement
(1) “advancement of knowledge”
(2) “life-long love of learning”
(3) “student research”
(4) “faculty...scholarship”
(5) “enrichment of the community”
Recommend retaining the concepts above, and all the
other concepts currently in the ASU Mission Statement.
C. University Goals
The
library is specifically engaged in the following ASU goals:
(1) “Assisting and encouraging students...with defined
knowledge...and...importance of life-long learning”
(2) “Providing...superior technology and facilities”
(3) “Providing...technological resources and programs”
(4) “Following...’best practices’...and services”
(6) “Making the
transition to the Augusta State
University’s educational environment as seamless as
possible…”
(7) “Providing
educational, cultural, and professional services to the community”
Goal 6: Wording change: “Making the
transition to the Augusta State
University’s educational environment as seamless as
possible…”
[Current wording: “Making Augusta State University education as
seamless as possible...”]
Recommend adding a new goal which stresses the
engagement of the ASU family, in particular the students, in the planning
and implementation of initiatives; making it clear that the university is
open to constructive criticism and mature dissent.
D. Planning Assumptions
-- Strengths
# 3 – “New facilities”
(Recent updating of the library’s interior)
#8 – “...accreditation
efforts”
(Providing assistance to departmental accreditation committees)
-- Challenges
#5 “Physical
location” – the statement, “excludes student
housing” is now inaccurate, and should be deleted.
Access to the Library should be greatly improved as the parking for the
new student center is completed, signage is put in place on the
outside
walls of the Library, the construction fences come down, and the main
entrances to the student center and the library are opened.
Suggested possible specific
actions by the Library and library staff to contribute to ASU student
retention, as tied to the statements from the ASU Mission and Strategic
Plan.
Advancement of knowledge
- provide reference or reserve copies of textbooks in the Library. The
library in inundated with calls every semester from students looking for
textbooks either to avoid purchasing them or because the books are
sold out/temporarily unavailable at the bookstore.
Student research
-
provide additional academic discipline-oriented web pages to direct
student library research
-
in cooperation with academic departments provide additional basic
study aids (such as Schaum Outlines, for example)
-
based on frequent requests at the Reference Desk, suggest that the
university develop a coordinated database and webpage which brings together
all the campus and community tutoring resources to allow students to
identify tutors and support programs for various subjects
-
continue on the current path of making information resources and
faculty assigned reading reserve materials available 24/7/365 via the
website from anywhere on or off-campus, increasing the “convenience”
value of services provided
-
Explain to students the alternative method of lost book replacement
at the time of loss
Faculty scholarship
- better highlight faculty publications
- sponsor faculty
“research workshops” to keep faculty up-to-date on
new
research techniques and
resources
- continue to work with
academic departments in utilizing their collection
development
allocations to purchase the best materials possible to
support their
teaching and research, with an emphasis on moving to
online full-text
resources.
Provide superior technology and facilities
-
employ pod casting technology
- add access to audio books
-
make some provision for a “family area” in the library
for students who have no
alternative but to bring children with them during library use
- form a student library advisory committee for input to
the library
- facilitate
a “student forum” to encourage constructive criticism of the
Library in a non-threatening environment especially in light on the
continuing concern with library hours
-
remain on the current path of updating the physical presence of the
library to make the library a destination for students to improve their
connectedness to the campus
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