Council of University of Wisconsin Libraries

The Council of University of Wisconsin Libraries
Strategic Directions 2007 – 2011

One System, One Library

Now is the time to reinvest in UWS Libraries.  The libraries have employed the concept of One System, One Library to maintain and improve collections and achieve efficient services in an environment of flat or reduced budgets and rapidly increasing costs.  It has been ten years since the libraries have received an increase of state funding.  Additional funding is critical to fully implement the vision of building a more robust One System, One Library that provides world-class library services to students, faculty, staff and Wisconsin residents.

Vision:  The University of Wisconsin System (UWS) libraries will advance successful teaching, learning and research through building a robust One System, One Library.

Strategic Direction 1:  Integrate Information and Services into Learning Environments.

Objective 1: Increase the Shared Electronic Collection (SEC) to meet the scholarly and educational needs of all UW faculty and students.

Objective 2:  Maximize the success of the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections.

Objective 3:  Determine the role of the institutional repository.

Objective 4:  Improve on and off campus access and simplify use of all resources.

Objective 5:  Investigate new approaches to the traditional integrated library system.


Strategic Direction 2:  Build partnerships for learning and scholarship.

Objective 1:  Enhance alliances and communication with senior campus administrators, faculty, students, public policy makers, and the K – 12 community.

Objective 2:  Incorporate information literacy skills into campus core competencies.

Objective 3:  Promote campus responsibility for records management.

Objective 4:  Promote change in alternative scholarly communication, public access publishing and author’s rights.

Objective 5:  Pursue the development of a shared electronic collection that would include institutions or organizations beyond UWS.

Objective 6:  Develop a comprehensive program for cooperative collection development across UW System.


Strategic Direction 3:  Embrace innovation in services and operations.

Objective 1:  Develop a culture of assessment by collecting library data that can be compared across institutions, is relevant to current library services, and is outcomes based.

Objective 2:  Adopt best business practices.

Objective 3:  Build and utilize diversity of staff and expertise across System.

Objective 4:  Focus on most pressing needs by realigning priorities and budgets.

Objective 5:  Work to secure funding to build a preservation facility.

Objective 6:  Re-purpose library spaces to meet the needs of innovative learning.


Approved by CUWL: September 14, 2007