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Strategic Plan 2025

Welcome to the library’s 2020-2025 strategic plan 

The culmination of months of reflection, consultation, and hard work, this five-year plan identifies the strategic areas of focus that will guide the library in its work to support research and learning at the University of Ottawa: contributing to the academic success of  students, faculty and researchers; connecting more closely with the University community; building collections essential to research and learning both today and tomorrow; and strengthening the library’s operating and governance framework.

Drawing on insightful feedback from students, professors, and campus partners, as well as rich contributions from employees in every division of the library, the development of this plan was truly a team effort. I’d like to extend my sincere thanks to everyone who contributed to this endeavour and, in so doing, helped to shape the future of the University of Ottawa Library.

Talia Chung, university librarian and vice-provost (knowledge systems)

Talia Chung, University Librarian and Vice-Provost (Knowledge Systems)

Mission

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In alignment with the ambitious vision and core aspirations of Transformation 2030, the uOttawa Library advances cutting edge research and supports transformative learning by connecting the uOttawa community to expertise, services, collections and technology in a welcoming and supportive environment.

Values

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Transformation 2030 sets a compelling direction for our university, one which inspires us to strive for greater agility, deeper connectedness, more meaningful impact, and long-term sustainability. The Library adheres to the following values:

Responsiveness: We recognize the diverse needs of our user community. We actively engage with our users and take action based on their feedback and suggestions. We take a user centric approach when we design and offer services.

Respect: We champion diversity, equity and inclusion. We seek out different perspectives to provide better experiences and services that are accessible to all.

Creativity: We are curious, we generate new ideas, and we are empowered to find innovative solutions to achieve our goals. We are risk tolerant and seek to learn and adapt from our successes and failures.

Collaboration: We share ideas, expertise and resources with openness and respect. We are members of teams focused on common goals.

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1. Provide specialized services throughout the research process

Students, faculty and researchers at uOttawa count on the library to support their needs throughout the research process and recognize the unique role the library plays in supporting their research. The library excels in providing specialized and individualized help to students, faculty and researchers. Staff throughout the library work together to refer users to the service or expert that best meets their needs.

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2. Deliver responsive services that complement evolving learning needs

Students count on library services to support and complement their learning. The library regularly reviews its suite of services and undertakes meaningful and engaging activities to enrich the campus experience. Our responsive services emphasize user experience principles, technology-forward solutions, and ensure accessibility.

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3. Maximize opportunities for participation in the open scholarship movement

The library champions and provides campus leadership in open scholarship practices. By developing programs, relationships and technical infrastructure, the library advances the creation, integration and application of open scholarship, with a focus on French language open scholarship. The uOttawa academic community increasingly adopts the principles, practices, tools and platforms of open scholarship.

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4. Champion and provide campus leadership in research data management

The library mobilizes campus partners to ensure access to user-centered research data management services and infrastructure. Our researchers benefit from access to regional and national consortial repositories and data management planning tools. The uOttawa research community is aware of best practices, principles, and policies concerning research data management. The library participates in campus decision-making bodies that strategically align support for research data management with university-wide digital innovation initiatives.

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5. Provide welcoming, inspiring and inclusive environments for learning and collaboration

The uOttawa community values the unique opportunities created by the library’s inclusive, thoughtfully designed and technology-rich spaces. Users are comfortable accessing the range of library services available to them and experience meaningful interactions with library staff. Users benefit from intuitive and user-friendly online environments. Library spaces are among the preferred locations for learning and collaborating on campus.

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6. Advance the recommendations of the uOttawa Indigenous Action Plan

We seek to integrate Indigenous perspectives in our services, collections, and spaces. Indigenous community members experience positive and successful interactions with the library. We engage with Indigenous students, faculty, researchers and local Indigenous communities to ensure that the library’s collections and services reflect their needs, experiences and perspectives.

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7. Strengthen community engagement and communication strategies

We develop relationships with our community by creating opportunities for interaction and exchange, including workshops, lectures, and events. Our community is aware of our role in supporting their learning, research and teaching and knows that their voices are heard as we develop our services, spaces, and collections.

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8. Pursue strategic partnerships in service to common goals and unique opportunities

The library is recognized as a forward-thinking knowledge organization that makes a meaningful contribution to collaborations and partnerships. Campus leaders and external groups recognize and appreciate the expertise that the library brings to a partnership.

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9. Make collections easier to discover, access, and use

The library adopts innovative solutions to make it easier for users to discover and access research and learning materials and supports new approaches to research and learning. Users value the consistent, seamless and intuitive experience of using the library collection and trust the present and future integrity of the collection.

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Participate in collaborative efforts to maximize the scholarly material available to users

The library participates in partnerships and initiatives at the provincial, national and international level to grow and expand the reach of collections available to the uOttawa community. The uOttawa community benefits from an increase to the breadth and depth of the material that supports their scholarly pursuits.

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11. Foster collections sustainability

The library is implementing the recommendations of the Ad hoc Committee on Sustainable Library Collections. Strategic and financial stewardship of collections funding is balanced with priorities and the academic mission. The library plays an active role in provincial, national, and international advocacy initiatives and partnerships. Community engagement strategies have raised campus awareness of the related challenges. The community expresses confidence in the library’s management of the library collection.

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12. Expand, preserve and promote our unique and special collections

The library makes a valuable contribution to the global historical and scholarly record by acquiring, curating and showcasing unique and special collections. Our campus leadership in digital preservation ensures that digitally published and digitized materials are available to researchers now and in the future.

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Promote the distinctive character of uOttawa through emphasis on our French language schol

The library collection reflects the distinctive Franco-Ontarian, Franco-Canadian and bilingual character of uOttawa. Our holistic approach to developing French language collections includes collection strategy, internal metadata creation, and discovery interfaces, and improves the experience of students, faculty and researchers.

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14. Empower library staff through engagement and training opportunities

Staff throughout the organization feel confident in carrying out their responsibilities and appreciate the impact of their work in supporting the teaching, learning and research mission of the university. Formal and informal communication practices allow everyone’s voice to be heard and for staff to feel well-informed about their workplace.

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15. Expand our collective knowledge and influence in support of campus digital initiatives

The library works closely with campus partners to provide agile solutions for transformative research and learning in digital environments. Our digital leadership is differentiated by our expertise in the organization and preservation of digital assets and facilitating the use of these collections.

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16. Foster donor engagement

The impact of gifts to the library make a difference in the lives of students, faculty and researchers, both now and in the future. The library works with campus partners to cultivate relationships with existing and potential donors. Donors are confident in their choice to support the uOttawa Library and see the positive impact of their generosity.

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17. Improve organizational planning and decision-making

Our robust planning cycle is complemented by project management, assessment, evaluation and communication strategies to support decision-making and improve library service. Library initiatives are prioritized in accordance with both the library’s and the university’s strategic objectives.

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