4. Goals and objectives, issues, and key strategic initiatives 2006-2008

Goal 2: Information services

Assist the Monash community to discover and use resources for learning, teaching and research, and to support staff and students’ development of skills for independent and lifelong learning through mediated, timely and flexible information services.

Objectives

To provide co-ordinated, proactive services under the 'one library' banner while still meeting individual campus and faculty needs
To advise and assist academic staff and students with using services and collections
To engage and liaise with faculty members and students about the development of services and collections
To develop academic staff and student information literacy skills
To provide relevant guides to services and collections
To promote the research strengths of the collection
To work with faculties to provide support for teaching and research activities

Key issues

The university is progressively moving to teaching that focuses more on student-centred learning. This approach affects the methods of service delivery and assistance provided by librarians to Library users.

A key challenge is to attain appropriate inclusion of information literacy skills programs into curricula.

Postgraduate students and researchers have particular information needs which differ from undergraduates. Targeted programs need to be developed to support research activities.

Strategic initiatives 2006-2008

2.1 Encourage and support the development of information literacy throughout the university:

Work with academic staff to further embed the development of information skills programs within undergraduate and postgraduate coursework curricula
Establish evaluation processes to measure the effectiveness of information literacy programs
Improve collaboration across the Library to ensure broad adoption of effective teaching methods
Share and build on successful liaison / communication practices across faculty teams

2.2 Review and improve inquiry services:

Review Monash University Library help and self-help services, including print and electronic guides
Collaborate with the Centre for the Advancement of Learning and Teaching (CALT), Information Technology Services and Student and Staff Services to establish consistent co-ordinated assistance for students and staff
Investigate joint provision of online reference and IT services with interstate and overseas institutions and organisations

2.3 Develop and implement a Research Support Plan.