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© 2007 Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/benchilada

Executive summary: Library vision and strategies 3

Achievements of the previous plan strategic plan 4

Introduction 5

Mandate 6

Vision, mission and values 7

Library strategies 8

Library budget allocation (available on request) 32

Impact on UP strategic objectives 33

Conclusion 9

ContentContent

2

Academic excellence

UP STRATEGIC THRUSTS

Local impact

Transformation

2010201020092009200820082007200720062006

Teach Students eLiteracy & Life-long Learning Skills

Develop Research Support Strategy

Develop new Research Support Role for Information Specialists

Implement Research Support Strategy

Open Access to Scholarly Material

20102010200920092008200820072007

Enhance information literacy for academic success and lifelong learning by using an integrated

approach

LIBRARY STRATEGIESLIBRARY STRATEGIES LIBRARY STRATEGIC

AREAS

Information Collection

Information Literacy

People centered institution

Excellence in core functions

Excellence in support

functions

Sustainability

Interfaces

Sustainability

Community development

Redefine the information collection to meet the challenges of the new information environment

Strengthen the role of the AIS in the facilitation of learning and teaching

Impact positively on research and e-research

Develop a Library 2.0 service model

Contributing to community development

Ensuring the sustainability of the AIS: Financial issues, Quality assurance, Physical facilities, Marketing,

Risk management

Technology exploitation

Enable research & eResearch

Learning & teaching excellence

HR

We strive to be a world-class modern academic research library thereby enabling the University of Pretoria to become an internationally recognized research university

VisionVision

Align with UP people centered strategy as it relates to staff

3

Achievements of the previous strategic plan

• Development and implementation of UP digital research repository, UPSpace (https://www.up.ac.za/dspace/)

• Google Scholar and Scholar SFX as global search engine of the library's electronic sources. (http://0-scholar.google.com.innopac.up.ac.za/)

• We are the first library in South Africa to buy the Digibook10000RGB scanner. We also obtained scanners for microfiche / microfilm and slides (http://www.ais.up.ac.za/aisintranet/aisnewsjan1/).

• Creation of the eService unit as that part of the AIS primarily responsible for the implementation of the e-Information strategy.

• Implementation of the Learning Centre phase 2• Organisational redesign

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IntroductionIntroduction

5

This strategic plan has been drafted in the context of a thorough understanding of the challenges facing the University and academic libraries in both the South African and the global context. The University’s strategic plan emphasises the role of the library.

The strategic plan aims to support the University in its striving to become an internationally recognized South African research university. It is designed to make a major contribution to the following UP strategic thrusts:

• Academic excellence• People centered institution• Excellence in core functions• Excellence in support functions• Local impact• Transformation• Interfaces• Sustainability

The Academic Information Service is responsible for the management of

academic information and knowledge, and for leading the University in information and

knowledge innovation

MandateMandate

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We strive to be a world-class modern academic research library enabling the University of Pretoria to become an internationally recognised research university

The vision will be achieved by:

•    Developing a well balanced and relevant information collection

• Providing access to information in all formats nationally and

internationally

•    Taking responsibility for information literacy

•    Enabling research and e-research

• Contributing to learning and teaching excellence

• Exploiting new technologies and continuously developing facilities for the

advancement of learning and research

• Contributing to community development

We value:

• Positive energy for success

• Professional and ethical behaviour

• Diversity as an asset

Vision

Mission

Values

Vision, Mission, ValuesVision, Mission, Values 7

Academic excellence

UP STRATEGIC THRUSTS

Local impact

Transformation

2010201020092009200820082007200720062006

Teach Students eLiteracy & Life-long Learning Skills

Develop Research Support Strategy

Develop new Research Support Role for Information Specialists

Implement Research Support Strategy

Open Access to Scholarly Material

20102010200920092008200820072007

Enhance information literacy for academic success and lifelong learning by using an integrated

approach

LIBRARY STRATEGIESLIBRARY STRATEGIES LIBRARY STRATEGIC

AREAS

Information Collection Focus 1

Information Literacy

People centered institution

Excellence in core functions

Excellence in support

functions

Sustainability

Interfaces

Sustainability

Community development

Redefine the information collection to meet the challenges of the new information environment

Strengthen the role of the AIS in the facilitation of learning and teaching

Impact positively on research and e-research

Develop a Library 2.0 service model

Contributing to community development

Ensuring the sustainability of the AIS: Financial issues, Quality assurance, Physical facilities, Marketing,

Risk management

Technology exploitation

Enable research & eResearch

Learning & teaching excellence

HR Focus 2 Align with UP people centered strategy as it relates to staff

8

The primary responsibility of an academic library is to service and uphold the academic institution of which it is a part. This is in line with the generally accepted fact that academic libraries are the heart of their respective institutions. Therefore, by striving to become and to deliver a world-class Library Service the Library will be enabling the University of Pretoria to attain its primary strategic objective, viz.: that of becoming an internationally recognised South African teaching and research university.

The strategic objectives and goals contained in the Library’s Plan have been carefully selected not only to support its vision of becoming world-class, but also to enable it to actively participate in the important task of shaping the future of academic and research libraries. The UP Library Service sees itself as strategically positioned to make a major contribution towards the successful attainment of this task, viz.: that of shaping and defining the future of academic and research libraries.

ConclusionConclusion9

Information collection strategy: Redefine the information collection to meet the challenges of the new information environment

• Strategic objectives:

Marketing and management of client perceptions (Hilda & Head of Special Unit; period; budget; staff involved: information specialists)Implement digitisation and preservation (Heila & Hilda; 2007-2008; budget: staff involved: eService; information specialists; Special Collections; IMPS – cataloguers; IT)Create a new framework for the development of the information resources collection e.g. implementing benchmarking tools to improve the collection (Hilda; period; budget; staff involved: IMPS; shelvers; information specialists; IT)Establish new role and focus of Special Collections (Hilda; 2007; budget; staff involved: Special Collections; eService)

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Information literacy strategy: Enhance information literacy for academic success and lifelong learning by using an integrated approach

(Hilda; staff involved: Learning Centre; information specialists; eService; Quality unit)

• Strategic objectives:

Policy formulationAlignment between all role players e.g. AIS, Departments of of Information Science and Informatics, FacultiesIntegrated information literacy program for AIS (and Head of Special Unit)Online trainingBetter integration into academic programsRevamp management information system

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Learning and eLearning facilitation strategy: Strengthen the role of the AIS in the facilitation of learning and teaching (Hilda; staff involved: information specialists; IMPS; IT)• Strategic objectives:

Strengthen interface with Education Innovation (EI)Integration with academic programsImproved support of information resources to undergraduatesMulti-media production laboratory in the Learning Centre

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Research and eResearch enablement strategy: Impact positively on research and eResearch

• Strategic objectives:Physical space for researchers (Hilda; needs analysis; period; budget)Adapting the role of the information specialist to the changed environment (Hilda; period; budget: staff involved: Executive; Heads of branch libraries; information specialists)Buy and implement commercial link resolver (Heila; 2007; budget; staff involved: IMPS; eService; information specialists)To bring openUP (open access journals) and associated initiatives to maturity (Monica; period; budget; staff involved: eService; information specialists)To populate the UP digital research repository, UPSpace (Heila; 2007-2010; budget; staff involved: eService; Special collections; information specialists; IMPS - cataloguers)Undertake a trusted repository evaluation of UPSpace (Heila; 2007-2010; budget: staff involved: eService)Investigate digital curation practices for UP (Heila; 2007; budget: staff involved: eService)Investigate the viability of a VRE (virtual research environment) for UP (Heila; 2007-2008; budget: staff involved: eService)Develop a model for an eResearch centre for UP (Heila; 2007; budget)Investigate library’s capacity to accommodate eResearch (Heila; 2007-2008; budget)To develop and implement a post-graduate strategy in consultation with other UP role players (Hilda; period; budget)

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Federated search engineFederated search engine R0.8M R0.8M

Library Catalogue

E-journals

Databases

Theses

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Characteristics of open access publishing

OA Journals (1666)http://www.doaj.org/

Institutional and Subject Repositoriesfor individual articles

Open Access: another route for scientific publishingOpen Access: another route for scientific publishing

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• Content must be free of charge for all users with an internet connection.

• The copyright holder must consent in advance to let users "copy, use, distribute, transmit and display the work publicly and to make and distribute derivative works, in any digital medium for any responsible purpose”.

• Peer review is implied.

• Authorship must be properly attributed.

Technology exploitation strategy: Develop a Library 2.0 service model

• Strategic objectives:

Investigate and apply Library 2.0 applications (Heila; 2007-2009; budget: staff involved: eService; information specialists; IT etc)

Align library IT department with UP IT service department (ITS) (Library executive; 2007; budget; staff involved: IT)

Sorting out support, relationship and interaction with ITS (Library executive; 2007; budget; staff involved: eService; IT)

Find solutions for pressing problems e.g. bandwidth and wireless (Robert; period; budget; staff involved: IT; executive)

Integrate with objectives from all other strategies and vice versa (Library executive; 2007; budget; staff involved: library staff)

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“emphasize online collaboration and sharing among users”

The Information Revolution:

Web 2.0 Software development

• Web 2.0Social networks, tagging for sharing e.g. e.g. Flickr, Del.icio.us, MySpace, MyTube, Wikipedia … Wikis, Blogs, RSS-feeds, folksonomies …

• Software delivered as a serviceGoogle Scholar & Scholar SFXWindows Live AcademicMashups

© 2006 Richard Wallis

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Web20_en.png

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:L2-meme2.gif#file

Enable (e) Research

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© 2006 Richard Wallis© 2006 Richard Wallis

Mashup example

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secondlife.com © 2006 Richard Wallis

Mashup example22

Community development strategy:

Contributing to community development (Head of Special Unit; staff involved: library staff)

• Strategic objectives:Sharing expertiseCeatup (ce@up) courses e.g. a digital repository course (Heila; 2007; budget)Involvement with faculty initiativesTaking initiatives to contribute to community development e.g. VETBOOKS for Africa

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Human resources strategy: Align with UP people centered strategy as it relates to staff (Robert; staff involved: HR unit; executive and management)

• Strategic objectives:Staff development plan to support the strategic plan and linked to performance managementFill vacanciesMore posts for identified areas“the right people on the bus”Procure post of HR practitioner at professional levelMake sure staff see the bigger picture and the changing environment

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Sustainability strategy:

Ensuring the sustainability of the library:

Financial issues, Quality assurance, Physical facilities, Marketing, Risk management

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Financial issues strategy: To optimise income and expenditure (Robert; staff involved: Finance unit; executive)

• Strategic objectives:Develop the external marketExploit opportunities obtaining external funding Information resources budget and related IT issues e.g. bandwidth to be exploredOptimising expenditure

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Quality assurance strategy: To be a quality driven organisation (Monica; staff involved: Quality unit; library staff)

• Strategic objectives:Investigate activity based costing (ABC)HEQC: prepare staff; implement recommendations into strategies; retain momentum; promote quality consciousness Upgrade management information collection and presentation – make it more accessible;Regular client surveysDevelop library performance indicatorsRevise policy framework and foster the concept of policy as an empowering governance mechanism

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Physical facilities strategy: Physical facilities must support library strategies (Robert; staff involved: Physical facilities unit; management; executive)

• Strategic objectives:Research facilities in the library Explore the possibility of a science library as part of the UP proposal to build a new science and engineering buildingMulti-media production labPhysical space audit, including IMPSExpand music libraryTake final decision re Mamelodi into accountAccess control for main library; branch libraries; post-graduate facilityBudget for Education library air-conditioningCreate conditions in Africana conducive to preservationLevel 2 (Management & Economics branch library) upgradeCarpets for Medical and Education branch librariesNew computer lab for Medical library

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Marketing strategy: Reposition library as essential in minds of stakeholders (Robert: staff involved: Special unit; eService)

• Strategic objectives:BrandingWeb siteRecruit qualified person for special unitMarketing plan

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Risk management strategy: To minimise risks (Robert: staff involved: executive and management)

• Strategic objectives:Revisit and manage risk management plan

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UP Centenary Strategy / Activity:

To contribute meaningfully to the UP centenary in 2008(Monica: staff involved: library staff)

• Strategic objectives:Organise the following eventsCreate a legacy

1. Event 1: Book Fair = UP flagship event (In diens van kennis)Date: March/April Wednesday – Saturday or Sunday

2. Event 2: 100 years of library service Date: May

3. Event 3: World Literacy Day Date: 8 September

4. Event 4: Mortenson Leadership Programme Date: November

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Library budget allocation 200732

Academic excellence

UP STRATEGIC THRUSTS

Local impact

Transformation

2010201020092009200820082007200720062006

Teach Students eLiteracy & Life-long Learning Skills

Develop Research Support Strategy

Develop new Research Support Role for Information Specialists

Implement Research Support Strategy

Open Access to Scholarly Material

20102010200920092008200820072007

Enhance information literacy for academic success and lifelong learning by using an integrated

approach

LIBRARY STRATEGIESLIBRARY STRATEGIES LIBRARY STRATEGIC

AREAS

Information Collection Focus 1

Information Literacy

People centered institution

Excellence in core functions

Excellence in support

functions

Sustainability

Interfaces

Sustainability

Community development

Redefine the information collection to meet the challenges of the new information environment

Strengthen the role of the AIS in the facilitation of learning and teaching

Impact positively on research and e-research

Develop a Library 2.0 service model

Contributing to community development

Ensuring the sustainability of the AIS: Financial issues, Quality assurance, Physical facilities, Marketing,

Risk management

Technology exploitation

Enable research & eResearch

Learning & teaching excellence

HR Focus 2 Align with UP people centered strategy as it relates to staff

33

© 2007 Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/cliffmichaels/

ESTIMATED COSTS FOR SFX® FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA

ASP -hosted by Ex L ibris***

Implementation & two days of training*

US$ 4,200 Capital

Annual subscription – including all support, and KnowledgeBase and software updates, plus backups and operating system maintenance

US$21,100 Recurrent

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- hosted at The University of Pretoria

Software license US$35,000 Capital

Implementation & two days of training*

US$ 4,200 Capital

Annual maintenance – including all support, and KnowledgeBase and software updates**

US$ 8,750 Recurrent

University of Pretoria New Strategic Plan

2006 – 2010

The Innovation Generation: creating the future

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Structure of Plan• Part A – Strategic Plan

– Vision and Mission– Broad approach to key issues

• Part B – Implementation Plan– Quantifying estimates of UP’s development– Prioritising key issues– Identifying implementation strategies

• Part C – Working Plan– Summary – Assignment of responsibilities

• Part D – Performance indicators

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Strategic plan: Main theme

• Over the past 10 years, UP has made excellent progress in changing from a ‘local university’ to becoming visible on the international academic stage.

• The next step is for UP to become “an internationally recognised teaching and research university”

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Part A – Strategic Thrusts

• Academic excellence

• People centred university

• Excellence in core functions

• Excellence in support functions

• Local impact• Transformation• Interfaces• Sustainability

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Part B - Prioritisation Key performance areas

Strategy areas

1. Human resource strategies 2. Management strategies

1. Ensuring that the University’s people are academically excellent 3. Student recruitment and success

strategies

4. Teaching and learning strategies 2. Optimising the Univer-sity’s core functions 5. Research strategies

6. Information technology strategies 3. 7. Institutional infrastructure strategies

Providing the required levels of support to achieve these objectives 8. Institutional advancement strategies

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1. The plan very explicitly spells out certain roles and expectations for the AIS, providing us with a mandate to strengthen existing functions and to develop new areas. Support is mentioned pertinently.

2. Between the lines more action is implied to keep the AIS well aligned with UP strategy

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AIS: Explicit1. Executive summary:

“development of e-research capacity within the AIS”

2. A: Objective 3.1: Teaching

“..excellent academic information services are fundamental for creating a resource-rich environment for learning. The University’s libraries will increasingly manage knowledge obtained from a wide range of sources and derived from across the globe, making it accessible to undergraduates in addition to researchers”

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A: Objective 4.1: Providing excellent support services

“The sound management of information through our library system is cardinal to our vision of being an internationally recognized research university. New technologies have made it possible to access academic information here and abroad more efficiently than in the past. Furthermore, increasingly information sources are being received in digital format by the University’s Academic Information Services. We believe it to be essential that the opportunities afforded by these developments should be fully exploited. We intend ensuring that this is the case.Provision will be made in the University’s libraries for services to postgraduate, particularly research, students, ranging from assistance in accessing information to reserved areas in which to work undisturbed.”

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B 5.3 AIS learning centre. “The Academic Information Service (AIS) is one of the University’s very valuable resources, aspects of which should be incorporated into every module. Many of the AIS materials are now obtained in electronic format. Although in principle, these materials can be accessed from computers situated anywhere, it has been shown internationally that having computers in libraries, where trained librarians can lend assistance, is the best way of getting students to use these resources effectively. A learning centre, consisting of work areas fitted with computers and served by dedicated information specialists, will be constructed in the Main Library.”

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“B5.4 Postgraduate Centres.

A critical step in developing an academic culture at the University is to raise the profile and importance of postgraduate students. The development of postgraduate centres on the University’s campuses to provide such students with venues to meet, interact and socialise, will form a key component of the University’s commitment to postgraduate students and research. In addition to such centres, a postgraduate students’ committee will be formed to interact with University authorities on matters of interest to postgraduate students.”

 

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“B5.4 Postgraduate facility in the Academic Information Services (AIS).

Giving postgraduate students preferential access to the Academic Information Services, including physical space in the (main) library is critical to fostering research students. The AIS will be tasked with extending services to postgraduates and developing a dedicated area where postgraduates can work undisturbed.”

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“B 6.6. E-research and the Academic Information Service 

Facilitating access to information (for research purposes) is a primary function of the Department of Academic Information Services (AIS). With the advent of the new information and communication technologies, acquiring information swiftly from across the globe has become commonplace. However, these technologies have resulted in further developments that are of increasing importance for research.”

 

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“B 6.6. E-research and the Academic Information Service (cont.)

Firstly, the digitisation of rare sources, to which in the past access has been restricted, is opening up new fields for researchers. The electronic versions of such sources can be viewed by students and researchers on-line, obviating the need for handling the originals which are often already brittle. The University of Pretoria has many important collections, often of importance to researchers in the Humanities, that will be digitised in the coming planning period by the AIS.”

 

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“B 6.6. E-research and the Academic Information Service (cont.)

Secondly, archiving the published research papers and conference proceedings of UP staff and students and making them available to the international research community will integrate the University with the international open access movement. This will ensure enhanced visibility for UP research and its greater impact. The Academic Information Service will manage this initiative and guide researchers towards contributing. During the period under review, policy on copyright practices and the possible mandatory submission of articles will be developed.”

 

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B 6.6. E-research and the Academic Information Service (cont.) 

Similarly, archiving research data, in ways that are secure, is becoming of increasing importance. Some modern research procedures require prodigious amounts of information, e.g. genome research in the biological sciences. In order for research results to be tested, verified or refuted by subsequent researchers, the original data must remain incorruptible. The facilities for doing this will be created in the coming years. (See section B7.7 below.) The University of Pretoria, in line with international best practice, has implemented an institution-wide academic digital repository, which will be developed further in the coming planning period.

The viability of developing Virtual Research Environments (VREs) for the University will also be investigated in the coming planning period.

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What else should we

read between the lines

and act on?

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Key Performance Areas1. People centered university

…attracting the right people to the University and thereafter retaining them: the best possible academic and administrative staff and students with exceptional potentialEmphasis on Science Engineering and Technology, postgraduate expecting more research publications , M & D

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2. Emphasis on academic excellence 1) An internationally recognised research

university2) Ensuring quality; being innovative3) Excellence in

a) Teachingb) Researchc) Community engagement

4) AIS as primary academic support mechanism

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An internationally recognised research university

1) Contribute to international scholarship and the development of our nation and continent

2) Build on UP strengths:NAS, Engineering, Human Rights LawExpand:Health, Veterinary Science, Economics and Commerce

3) Emphasis will shift to postgraduate work. Particular emphasis will be made to attract science, engineering and research students, both locally and abroad

4) Excellent undergraduates should be assisted to become postgraduates

5) Exceptional computer and information literacy skills

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Ensuring quality: distinguishing feature, external evaluations, accreditation to

be stepped up, key performance indicators developed, advisory boards for support services

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Being innovative

making our students and staff aware of and competent to deal with the demands of the modern knowledge society

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Excellence in Research

the scholarship of integration (linked to data archiving)

..we intend becoming world leaders in the academic issues of importance to developing nations, especially those of Africa, e.g. research on malaria, HIV-AIDS, veterinary tropical and wildlife diseases, establishing just legal systems and efficient water use in arid regions

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Performance Indicators (for discussion)

The University is in the process of developing a set of performance indicators. Currently this is listed for the AIS

No.26 % of budget allocated to AIS

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Finally

• Funds and other resources are needed to turn plans into action, and ensuring that what takes place in practice corresponds to what was intended, means that budgets must map academic and support sector priorities. We therefore intend using the annual budget to ensure that University activities are financed according to their relative priorities as determined in the strategic plan.

• The University will institute a training programme … to equip all staff … to manage staff diversity and differences of social customs…

• Language issues are important for everyone