OSU wants to become a university where every student graduates. As has been said repeatedly, this is a mindset, not a metric. It is about supporting students in their goals, whether those goals involve getting a four-year degree or not. For OSULP this means we help students accomplish their goals. We conduct research and user testing to understand student needs and the barriers students face and then work to reduce or eliminate those barriers. We have a particular interest in reducing the costs of higher education for students. We develop programs and services that promote belonging and community. We develop programming and do outreach in areas that support OSU’s Five Dimensions of Student Success. We create inspiring learning spaces, develop proactive services, and curate collections that spark curiosity and make learning enjoyable. This work is ongoing, relational and often slow and iterative.

How will we focus our work in the next two years?

  • Develop asynchronous, re-usable learning and help materials that can be used by all library users.
  • Prioritize affordability projects that reduce the cost of course materials and study aids for OSU students.
  • Focus proactive or tailored services on student groups that are historically and currently under-served by libraries or other support services at OSU, or where achievement gaps exist. These include (but are not limited to) students of color, Ecampus students, low income students and students with disabilities,
  • Define scope, focus and audience for outreach, collections and programming that is intended to support connection and belonging. Do not try to be everything to everyone. Work with partners that share our goals and values to avoid duplication of effort and resources.

Actions & Strategies 

In the next two years, we will focus on these actions and strategies:

Action 2.1: Identify library-based instructional supports for new Ecampus curriculum areas; develop new tools to assist with this work.

2.1a:    Coordinate use of How-To Canvas Guides and other library-wide instructional or help materials across the library.

2.1b:    Explore use of new technologies to share physical objects in SCARC and develop curriculum compatible with online learning. Explore partnerships with or referrals to other libraries or cultural organizations to support students outside Corvallis.

2.1c:    Define agreements with the Division of Educational Ventures about ownership/access of intellectual property created by the library, and use of production spaces and technology.

2.1d:    Explore opportunities for creating micro-credentials (for example, in areas like AI and ethics, oral histories, primary source literacy, data use and management)

Action 2.2: Develop proactive, streamlined, cross-departmental support for all OSU campuses, including Ecampus, in borrowing, purchasing, accessing and using library materials.

2.2a:    Relevant personnel will participate in a cross-departmental service design retreat, facilitated by the Dean, to support the development of effective acquisitions, cataloging, access, accessibility, and communication workflows to support students on all campuses, including Ecampus.

2.2b:    Identify ways to gather input by working with the Ecampus Learning Community.

2.2c:    Work with Budget and Finance to develop a process for adding recurring funding to the library budget in support for new programs.

Action 2.3: Establish an AI Literacy and Ethics Center

2.3a:    Define critical AI literacy and use that definition to articulate the mission/scope for the center, with an initial focus on student-facing services and programming.

2.3b:    Collaborate with the Center for Teaching and Learning to strategically address AI literacy programming for both students and faculty, and to avoid duplication of effort or resources. Request additional resources from Academic Affairs/ Provost’s Office.

2.3c:    Use one-time funds to expand the capacity of the Center by recruiting faculty fellows. Identify needs that can be served and create PD’s for Fellow positions. Decide if these positions should focus on research, pedagogical innovations or both. Create a robust onboarding experience that communicates the core philosophy of the Center to new fellows. Define deliverables expected from Fellows.

2.3d:    Develop a website and a marketing and promotion plan for the Center’s services and programming.

Action 2.4: Develop learning, outreach, and employment experiences for students that advance the goals articulated in OSU’s five dimensions of student success.

2.4a:    Develop internships and student positions that provide opportunities to apply what they learn in coursework to real-world settings.

2.4b:    Develop workflows and stable points of coordination – tied not to a person but a role – for OSULP participation in campus-wide onboarding activities.

2.4c:    Develop a framework that will support the sustainable development of Library programs and events intended to support belonging and community for OSU students. This framework should: 1) Establish criteria for green-lighting new acquisitions or programs, 2) Ensure that library programs enhance work being done by student affairs units without duplicating effort; and 3) Identify primary audiences and partners where appropriate.

2.4d: Form a cross-departmental workgroup to develop an equity lens framework that can be used across OSULP to analyze our work and to prioritize tailored services. Analyze student demographics in order to identify groups under-served, and use culturally appropriate research methods to learn about their experiences with library and other academic support services and spaces.

Action 2.5: Reduce barriers to student success created by the high cost of course materials and study aids.

2.5a:    Create a campus-wide affordability table to sit at or lead.

2.5b:    Improve workflows and staffing models for course reserves. Create a collection development plan, a communications plan, improve processes, use student labor more effectively, identify a stable budget.

2.5c:    Develop a policy framework and outreach plan for small technology collections that support student productivity and success. This framework should be flexible enough to allow each OSULP location to develop collections that meet local needs. Work collaboratively with other affordability/student success units as appropriate to reduce duplication of effort or resources.

2.5d:    Develop a policy framework and outreach plan for Library of Things collections intended to support leisure, belonging and community. This framework should allow for consistent planning and responsible stewardship of resources.

Action 2.6: Improve library spaces and collections by assessing and updating aging physical collections. Use space design and physical collections to spark curiosity, support student success and promote belonging.

2.6a:    Invest one-time funds in print purchases that advance diversity, inclusion, belonging and anti-racism goals.

2.6b:    Develop a plan for assessing print collections to determine what should be kept and what could be discarded or moved. Re-invest in specialized analysis tools.

2.6c:    Assess workflows around the creation of browsing displays. Explore using vendors that allow automatic invoicing and processing through Alma. Consider tools, communications, training, and which personnel should be involved.

2.6d:    Identify ways to connect users browsing print collections to digital books.

2.6e:    Move journal runs to Guin storage, reconfigure stacks to open space for new uses.

2.6f:    Develop a comprehensive Valley Library space plan with the goal of getting a Valley Library renovation included in OSU’s 10-year capital forecast list. Identify priorities, principles, stakeholders and projects.

Mission, Vision, Values | Goal 1 | Goal 3 | Download full strategic action plan