As the University Librarian I am proud and honored to be part of the McMaster University community during these exciting times. Universities today are experiencing unprecedented change fueled in part by technological advances; increased student expectations for a learner-centered curriculum emphasizing flexibility in learning; and greater demands from our stakeholders for accountability. Never before have the challenges we face been as exciting or the opportunities so great.
As partners in teaching, learning and research on our campuses, libraries are at the heart of today’s changes. Our challenge is to establish the University Library as an unparalleled service provider in an increasingly complex world of information and access.
How do we prepare our students to be empowered, informed, and responsible life-long learners? The University Library is facing this challenge head on. A Transformation Team has been formed to identify challenges and to recommend changes to the libraries that are truly transformative. Our new model will be directly aligned with our academic faculties and the strategic directions of the University; flexible and dynamic; focused on outcomes; focused on campus and community partnerships; innovative and forward-looking.
In order to accomplish this transformation we will focus on the following themes, which are aligned with the goals set forth in the University’s Directions and Refining Directions documents.
Goal: Increased Focus on Results, Added Value and Our Customers
Goal: Enhanced Respect by Building A Strong 21st Century Library Staff
Goal: Stronger Connections Through Collaboration On- and Off-Campus
Goal: Increased Innovation by Rewarding Creativity
Goal: Improved Evaluation Through Data-Gathering
I want to thank our staff, our faculty, our students, our alumni, our friends and our supporters who are committed to the University Library. I look forward to working together with you to meet these challenges and to make the University Library an even greater place.
August 21, 2006 at 5:01 pm |
Hi Jeff and McMaster Libraries colleagues — I have posted your new blog and Transformation Team idea to my own blog:
http://zephyrinnovation.com/
Good luck with the Transformation conversations — I will be very interested to hear what you all discover re: how to innovate at McMaster. I am very happy to see an interactive process related to strategic conversations at a university and applaud this effort!
September 21, 2006 at 3:19 am |
Hi Jeff,
I haven’t had a chance to meet you yet, but I’m one of the students working with Mark for the year.
I think it’s a wonderful idea for you to have a blog, especially with all the changes happening at Mills. But perhaps it needs a bit more PR? The student that you ran into has posted the URL for your blog on the McMaster Livejournal community (which is how I found out about it) which seems like a good start.
Hopefully I’ll run into you one day when I’m in or around the shop. Good luck with the blog and with your new position at the library.
Cheers!
Charlotte