4. Goals and objectives, issues, and key strategic initiatives 2006-2008

Goal 1: Information resources

Ensure the selection, acquisition, creation, cataloguing, storage and preservation of scholarly information are in line with the needs and requirements of the university community.

Provide prompt, seamless, reliable and easy-to-use access to high quality scholarly information, regardless of the location of the information or the user.

Objectives

To evaluate, select, acquire and license new materials (both print and electronic)
To catalogue resources and provide information about, and access to, them through the Library catalogue and the web site
To provide resource discovery tools to enable access to electronic resources including journals, books, articles and web sites
To provide physical access to print and other collections held in branch libraries
To provide co-ordinated resources under the 'one library' banner while still meeting individual campus and faculty needs
To promote and preserve the university's intellectual output
To ensure Library involvement in planning of academic programs at all campuses
To improve the utility of the university's information management processes

Key issues

The Library supports the teaching and research activities of the university across eight Victorian and two overseas campuses, as well as off campus. The challenge is to ensure continuing development of high quality information resources to meet the differing needs of Monash students and staff, and other users affiliated with the university. The Library needs to provide appropriate support to ensure flexible delivery by means of integrated interfaces to high quality library resources.

Library resources are essential to improving the university research performance. A closer working relationship with academic staff to achieve greater input into the development of the collection has been identified for action. The Library will also seek to provide high quality collections in areas of research interest in consultation with staff and postgraduate students.

The full research output of the university remains under-captured and is under-promoted. The Library is leading the establishment of a research repository for Monash University (ARROW) and other universities, and an electronic press (Monash University ePress). The next few years are critical to the success of these initiatives. The Library is also actively involved in the development of a co-ordinated information management strategy for the university.

Strategic initiatives 2006-2008

1.1 Make electronic information easier to locate and use:

Further develop and review the Multisearch portal for effective cross-database searching and linking to full-text information
Identify ways of personalising library resource discovery
Undertake usability reviews of specific web sites eg subject guides

1.2 Undertake further analysis of collection adequacy to support teaching and research and develop strategies to address needs identified

1.3 Capture and promote Monash University research output through the ARROW research repository, expand its content, and develop a capacity to maintain the ARROW repository into the future

1.4 Showcase Monash University's research activity through expanding the offer of the Monash University ePress and identifying sustaining strategies for its future development

1.5 Advise the university on its information management strategies and on metadata standards

1.6 Develop a library resource discovery framework