Communicating value through strategic engagement. Promoting awareness of the “value of libraries” through alignment across academic, student, and administrative affairs
| Published date | 11 June 2018 |
| Pages | 154-165 |
| Date | 11 June 2018 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-09-2017-0093 |
| Author | Scott Walter |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,HR in libraries,Library strategy,Library promotion |
Communicating value through
strategic engagement
Promoting awareness of the “value of libraries”
through alignment across academic, student,
and administrative affairs
Scott Walter
University Library, DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this pap er is to explore ways in which “library value”may be communicated
in a university setting thr ough more effective engagement with stra tegic planning and a broader array of
campus partners.
Design/methodology/approach –This paper presents a case study of an academic library in which
alignment with the university mission and strategic plan and alignment of library assessment efforts with the
broader culture of assessment at the university have resulted in positive gains for the library in terms of
campus engagement and recognition of library value.
Findings –This paper provides insights into successful strategies for improved communication of library
value to senior leadership, new investment in library facilities, and enhanced opportunities for collaboration
across the university on strategic initiatives including student success, innovation in teaching and
scholarship, and community engagement.
Originality/value –This paper provides library leaders with new approaches to engagement with campus
partners and senior academic leadership in promoting the library as a strategic resource worthy of
investment in the twenty-first century.
Keywords Collaboration, Higher education, Academic libraries, Library assessment, Leading change,
Strategic planning
Paper type Case study
Introduction
Since the publication of the Value of Academic Libraries report (Oakleaf, 2010), academic
libraries across the USA have sought new ways to demonstrate the contributions they make to
institutional goals and strategic initiatives related to student learning, faculty productivity,
innovation in teaching and scholarship, community engagement, and more. As part of this
“value agenda,”librarians have pursued new approaches to engagement with students,
faculty, and other stakeholders in order to identify new opportunities for collaboration
and to demonstrate impact on institutional priorities. As Oakleaf (2010, pp. 29-30) wrote:
“Academic librarians must understand institutional missions and how they contribute to them;
they must also share that information with others by clearly aligning library services and
resources to institutional missions. Communicating that alignment is crucial for communicating
library value in institutional terms.”To this, one might add that the ability to communicate
library value in institutional terms is critical to senior leadership support for investment
in library staff and services during a period of seismic change in higher education finance
models in the USA (Fiscal Federalism Initiative, Pew Charitable Trusts, 2015; Seltzer, 2017;
“What Trump’s Budget Outline Would Mean for Higher Ed,”2017).
Library Management
Vol. 39 No. 3/4, 2018
pp. 154-165
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0143-5124
DOI 10.1108/LM-09-2017-0093
Received 12 September 2017
Revised 25 November 2017
Accepted 29 November 2017
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0143-5124.htm
This paper forms part of a special section: “communicating value and leadership: from strategic to
micro assessment.”Papers from the 12th International Conference on Performance Measurement in
Libraries, July 31-August 2, 2017, Oxford, UK. Guest edited by Professor Judith Broady-Preston
(Aberystwyth University) and Dr Frankie Wilson (Bodleian Library).
154
LM
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