4. Objectives, issues, and key strategic initiatives 2007-2009

Key Area 1: Information Resources

Objective: Ensure the selection, acquisition, creation, cataloguing, storage and preservation of scholarly information are in line with the needs and requirements of the university community. Provide prompt, seamless, reliable and easy-to-use access to high quality scholarly information, regardless of the location of the information or the user.

Ongoing activities:

To evaluate, select, acquire and license new materials (both print and electronic);
To catalogue resources and provide information about, and access to, them through the Library catalogue and the web site;
To provide resource discovery tools to enable access to electronic resources including journals, books, articles and web sites;
To provide physical access to print and other collections held in branch libraries;
To provide co-ordinated resources under the 'one library' banner while still meeting individual campus and faculty needs;
To promote and preserve the university's intellectual output;
To improve the utility of the university's information management processes.

Issues: The challenge in Information Resources is to ensure continuing development of high quality information resources to meet the differing needs of Monash students and staff, and other users affiliated with the university. The Library needs to provide appropriate support to ensure flexible delivery by means of integrated interfaces to our resources.

Library resources are essential to improving the University’s research performance. A closer working relationship with academic staff to achieve greater input into the development of the collection has been identified for action. The Library will also seek to provide high quality collections in areas of research interest in consultation with staff and postgraduate students.

The full research output of the university remains under-captured and is under-promoted. The Library is leading the establishment of a research repository for Monash University (ARROW) and other universities, and an electronic press (Monash University ePress). The next few years are critical to the success of these initiatives. The Library is also actively involved in the development of a co-ordinated information management strategy for the university. The emergence of e-Research has involved the Library in policy development for research data management and preservation.

Key Strategic Initiatives

Strategies	Actions	Measures/Targets/KPIs	Responsibility
1.1 Make electronic information easier to locate and use.	Review and make recommendations for the continued subscription to Multisearch for 2008 and onwards.	Multisearch portal reviewed and recommendations made.	Director, Information Resources; Director, Information Systems; Directors, Client Services.
1.1 Make electronic information easier to locate and use.	Develop a library resource discovery framework.	Framework developed.	Director, Information Systems; Director, Information Resources.
1.2 Develop collections to support research and teaching.	Continue research collection adequacy study.	Study completed, needs identified, strategies formulated.	Director, Information Resources; Directors , Client Services; Subject librarians.
1.2 Develop collections to support research and teaching.	Build research collections in key faculty research areas in collaboration with researchers.	Collections improved in designated areas.	Director, Information Resources; Directors, Client Services; Subject Librarians.
1.3 Position the ARROW repository for future needs.	Capture and promote Monash University research output through the ARROW repository, expand its content, and develop a capacity to maintain the ARROW repository into the future.	Material captured versus whole research output. ARROW content expanded. Ongoing maintenance of the ARROW repository.	ARROW Project Manager; University Librarian; Director, Information Systems.
1.3 Position the ARROW repository for future needs.	Use the ARROW repository to support the RQF at Monash University.	All RQF documentation available via the ARROW repository, with appropriate security measures in place.	ARROW project manager.
1.4 Showcase Monash University's research activity through expanding the offer of the Monash University ePress and identifying sustaining strategies for its future development.	Expand the number of titles published by ePress.	Number of titles on offer.	ePress Manager; University Librarian.
	Develop sustainability strategies – map future development.	Sustainable model developed.	ePress Manager.
	Explore a wider institutional role for the ePress.	Report on wider role completed.	ePress Manager.
1.5 Provide leadership for the University in information management.	Advise the university on its information management strategies and on metadata standards.	Advice given to appropriate forums.	University Librarian; Director, Information Resources; Director, Information Systems.
	Assist in developing a data management strategy for University research data.	Assistance given and strategy implemented.	University Librarian; Director, Information Resources.