4. Objectives, issues, and key strategic initiatives 2009-2011

Key Area 2: Information Services

Objective: To enable 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.

Ongoing Activities:

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 in the use of 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.
To improve user services.
To promote the research strengths of the collection.
To work with faculties to provide support for education and research activities.

Issues: A key challenge is to identify the best ways to improve the user experience in a rapidly changing learning, education and research environment. Within this environment, the Library needs to consider changing user behaviour and demands for immediate, targeted information and assistance.

The University’s focus on research and research data is expanding the role of information services librarians.

The Monash Passport program, in particular the honours program, will influence demand on Library services from undergraduates. The program provides opportunities for an early introduction to research information and data management practices.

New courses, the movement of subjects, courses and, in some instances, faculties, between campuses have impacts on service delivery and planning.

Consolidating the establishment of learning skills in the Library and increasing the embedding and integration of learning skills and information literacy in the curriculum is a priority.

Key Strategic Initiatives

Strategies	Actions	Measures/Targets/KPIs	Responsibility
2.1 Encourage and support the development of information literacy throughout the University.	Work with faculties to embed and integrate information literacy and learning skills into undergraduate and postgraduate curricula.	Coverage and success of embedded and integrated programs.	Directors, Client Services; Information Literacy Librarian; Learning Skills Manager; Faculty Teams.
	Establish evaluation processes to measure the effectiveness of information literacy programs.	Evaluation process developed.	Directors, Client Services; Information Literacy Librarian; Learning Skills Manager; Faculty Teams.
	Facilitate effective information literacy methods.	Effective information literacy education methods developed. Information literacy addressed in teacher / supervisor training	Directors, Client Services; Information Literacy Librarian; Faculty Teams.
	Initiate, share and build on successful liaison / communication practices across faculty teams.	Demonstrated improved liaison between faculty teams.	Directors, Client Services; Information Literacy Librarian; Learning Skills Manager; Faculty Teams.
2.2 Review and improve information services.	Implement recommendations from the Usability Study to improve online support services, help and self-help services.	Recommendations implemented.	Directors, Client Services; Information Literacy Librarian; Learning Skills Manager; Faculty Teams; Communications Manager.
	Undertake the Service Points Review.	Review completed, recommendations made and implemented.	Directors, Client Services; Director, Corporate Services; Project Team.
	Implement the recommendations from the Client Services Committees Review.	Recommendations made and implemented.	Directors.
	Update Service Level Agreement with faculties to better reflect service offer.	Service level agreement updated	Directors.
	Collaborate with key centres and faculties of the University to establish co-coordinated assistance for students and staff.	Coordinated services established. Online learning environment opportunities identified and exploited.	Directors, Client Services; Director, Central Services; Project Team.
2.3 Review support plans.	Review the Research Support Plan.	Plan reviewed.	Directors, Client Services; Director, Information Resources.
2.3 Review support plans.	Review the Education Support Plan.	Plan reviewed.	Directors, Client Services; Director, Information Resources.
2.4 Engage new technologies for client services.	Monitor and examine options for new technologies in client services.	New technologies are investigated, recommendations made and implemented.	Directors, Client Services; Director, Central Services.