Strategic Priorities 2022-2025

(Preliminary plan, February 1, 2023)

Four strategic priorities are identified as key areas of focus:

  1. Transforming our spaces
  2. Empowering and supporting staff
  3. Re-envisioning and delivering excellent services
  4. Enhancing access to, and engagement with, collections

 


1. Transforming our spaces
Libraries are ecosystems for innovation where students, faculty, and the community congregate to learn and discover. Major building projects like Fiat Lux, the New Vic Project, and the complete renovation of the Schulich Library of Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, and Engineering combined with the opening of the McGill University Collections Centre (MUCC) and the eventual move of low-use materials across all branches, will create an opportunity to enhance physical Library spaces across campus into inspiring, technology-rich, multi-functional areas that welcome and support all users.

Objective Owner(s) Timeline
1.1 Launch the renovated Schulich Library of Physical Science, Life Science, and Engineering. 

Vice-Dean

Associate Dean, User Services 

Head Librarian, Schulich Library of Physical Science, Life Science, and Engineering 

June 2023
1.2 Deliver the Collections Centre in Valleyfield. Executive Director, Fiat Lux July 2023
1.3 Move collections and deliver Library services related to the Collections Centre.

Associate Dean, User Services

Associate Dean, Collection Development

Associate Dean, Digital Initiatives

May 2024
1.4 Building on the shared preservation of printed collections with Quebec universities, evaluate opportunities for future development and expansion of the Collections Centre. Trenholme Dean of Libraries June 2023
1.5 Plan for expansion of the Collections Centre. Library Cabinet 2025
1.6  Begin construction of the Fiat Lux Project to provide our community, Montréal and beyond, with a physical facility, innovative programming, and user-focused services that meet current and future needs and modes of learning and research for McGill’s third century.

Library Cabinet

Working Group Leads

2024
1.7 Fundraise an additional $50 million dollars.

Trenholme Dean of Libraries

University Advancement

2025
1.8 Develop the library services program for the New Vic project.

Vice-Dean

Associate Dean, User Services

2025
1.9 Formalize the renovation and deferred maintenance processes throughout the library system and identify and implement prioritized and approved projects. Vice-Dean 2024
1.10 Plan and prepare for the post-pilot phase at 550 Sherbrooke. Library Cabinet 2023

 


2. Empowering and supporting staff

McGill Library’s collective accomplishments depend upon the talents, dedication, and skills of our people. We aspire to meet our community’s needs by growing together through knowledge sharing, enhanced communication and decision-making, research, and professional service. With large-scale transformational spaces and services under development, now is the opportune time for staff to upskill to match the changes in their work and work environment. Organizational change is constant, and often, not an easy process. Creating a strong sense of community and purpose-driven work that provides opportunities for growth will require empowering staff to feel listened to, safe, and acknowledged.

Objective Owner(s) Timeline
2.1 Foster employee engagement by strengthening two-way, internal communication efforts to enhance decision-making processes. Library Cabinet 2025
2.2 Develop a multi-year action plan for onboarding, hiring, and retention.

Trenholme Dean of Libraries

Human Resources

Library Cabinet 

2023
2.3 Provide training and resources for staff to thrive in new environments. Library Cabinet 2025
2.4 Assess current training needs for librarians. Develop and offer training and strengthen internal collaborations and learning.

Associate Dean, User Services

Associate Dean, Digital Initiatives

Vice Dean

2024
2.5 Deepen engagement with Equity Diversity Inclusion Accessibility (EDIA) work through the development of an action plan and a professional development plan that includes knowledge-sharing opportunities around a variety of topics.

Vice-Dean

Library Cabinet

2025
2.6 In collaboration with the Indigenous Office, formalize Library Indigenous initiatives through the development of an action plan. Objectives include enhancing library services to Indigenous students and offering training opportunities to staff members.

Vice-Dean

Library Cabinet

2025

 


3. Re-envisioning and delivering excellent services

With the transformation of numerous physical spaces on the horizon, the McGill Library must seek new ways to reflect next-generation services and programming that are responsive to the current and future needs of the community. By thinking creatively, embracing change, embedding technological advancements, and taking risks, we will deliver revamped programs and services.

Objective Owner(s) Timeline
3.1 Develop and implement across branch libraries robust, forward-thinking, and cross-disciplinary programming in the following areas: Digital Scholarship, Research Data Management, Knowledge Synthesis, and Geospatial data and information.

Associate Dean, Digital Initiatives

Associate Dean, User Services

2025
3.2 Develop and implement an open science and open data program. Continue to support open-access activities.

Associate Dean, Digital Initiatives

Associate Dean, User Services

Associate Dean, Collection Services

2025
3.3 Redesign and refresh the Library’s website.

Digital Initiatives

Library Communications 

2024-2025
3.4 Implement best practices for creating and delivering equitable, diverse, inclusive, and accessible services across all units.

Library Cabinet

Managers

2024
3.5 Amplify voices of marginalized and underrepresented groups through service-focused, proactive, liaison-driven management and curation of Library collections in conjunction with the development of related programming.

Library Cabinet

Managers

2025
3.6 Conduct an environmental scan of system-wide services compared to peer institutions. Vice-Dean 2023
3.7 Design a service plan outlining offerings available during the transformation period. Associate Dean, User Services 2023
3.8 Develop and implement a communications plan to raise the visibility of library services.

Associate Dean, User Services

Library Communications

2023-2025

 


4. Enhancing access to, and engagement with, collections

The Library strives to provide the McGill community with the right collections at the right time to meet teaching, learning, and research needs through numerous access platforms and strategic collaborations. Maintaining, growing, and promoting highly utilized, discipline-specific collections in both physical and digital form is key to supporting scholars that depend on materials for discovery and research. Key partnerships at McGill and beyond will build upon the successful prioritization, preservation, and delivery of digital materials.

Objective Owner(s) Timeline
4.1 Develop an action plan to restructure and strengthen McGill University Archives.

Trenholme Dean of Libraries

Secretary-General

Associate Dean, ROAAr

Head Archivist, McGill University Archives

2025
4.2 Engage in shared print projects with other institutions at national and international levels. Associate Dean, Collection Services 2025
4.3 Participate in trusted digital repository projects for digital resources.

Associate Dean, Collection Services

Associate Dean, ROAAr

Associate Dean, Digital Initiatives

2025
4.4 Improve equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility within library collections.

Associate Dean, Collection Services

Associate Dean, ROAAr

Associate Dean, Digital Initiatives

2025
4.5 Review action items from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as they relate to Library collections and access.

Associate Dean, Collection Services

Associate Dean, ROAAr

2025
4.6 Improve digital access to our collections for our users and strategic partners and develop a Collection Digitization Plan.

Associate Dean, Collection Services

Associate Dean, ROAAr

Associate Dean, Digital Initiatives

Vice-Dean

2025
4.7 Develop an exhibition and art program including collaborations with external organizations. Associate Dean, ROAAr 2025
4.8 Develop an infrastructure plan for McGill’s digital content that includes guiding principles and processes to scale, preserve, implement, and sustain digital technologies at McGill.

Associate Dean, Digital Initiatives

Associate Dean, ROAAr

Associate Dean, Collection Services

Vice-Dean

2025

 

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