Table of Contents

SECTION A Executive Summary
SECTION B Mission Statement
SECTION C Progress on Previous Year’s Plan (FY 2002-2003)
SECTION D Strategic Goals (2003-2008)
SECTION E Objectives and Strategies
SECTION F Assessment Plan
SECTION G Resource Requirements
APPENDIX A

 

This document represents the outcome of the strategic planning process undertaken by the administration and staff of the University Libraries. The purpose of the process has been to identify progress made by the libraries during the past year, to develop strategic goals for the library over the next five years, to create strategies for accomplishing these goals and to devise an assessment plan to measure the effectiveness of the University Libraries in accomplishing its goals. The process included library-wide meetings and individual departmental meetings to solicit input from both library faculty and library staff. As drafts were compiled, they were distributed to all library personnel for additional input. Last year’s users surveys were also taken into consideration.

As the major research library in South Carolina, the mission of the University Libraries is to provide students, faculty and staff with comprehensive access to information essential to teaching, research and outreach activities of the University of South Carolina. The libraries collect, organize, conserve and manage print and digital resources in order to provide library and information services to the University community. The University Libraries also serves as a major educational resource for the citizens of South Carolina through interlibrary loan, document delivery and in-house use.

Despite permanent budget reductions in the past two years totaling $1,072,550, the University Libraries still made progress in fulfilling its strategic goals. Over 120 PC’s and Mac workstations in the Student Computer Lab were replaced with Pentium IV machines and all public workstations were upgraded. State-of-the-art virtual reference software was installed and users can now request reference assistance 24 hours a day from any location. While the Library was forced to institute a serials reduction project due to a reduction in state funding, most of the cancelled print sources were replaced with electronic access to the same information.

The Library’s development efforts were very successful. Endowments increased during the year by $346,000. A gift was received in the amount of $90,000 from the Edna McConnell Foundation to process and preserve a major manuscript collection and a $17,000 gift was received by the Music Library for the Digital Sheet Music Project. A multi-year HUD grant of $850,000 was received to support Modern Political Collections and an NEH grant for $251,268 was received to process and preserve a portion of the Movietonews collection.

Results from the annual library survey indicated a satisfaction level of 85.1% --a significant increase from the previous year when the satisfaction level was 81.8%.

In order to achieve its mission, the University Libraries has established the following goals for the period 2003-2008. The goals were reached through a process of open communication and staff participation.

Goal 1 Evaluate, select, acquire, organize and preserve a collection of materials in a variety of formats (print, electronic, multi-media, etc.) as well as the equipment necessary for its use.

Goal 2 Provide exceptional services that support, enhance and promote the academic programs of the University.

Goal 3 Assist users in understanding the organization of Library resources, in identifying and locating recorded information, in utilizing library services and in developing critical thinking skills while serving as a partner in developing information literacy for lifelong learning.

Goal 4 Maintain a strategy and associated instruments to assess the University community regarding the importance and effectiveness of Library resources, services and staff in fulfilling the Library’s mission and goals to provide a realistic measure of Customer Service/Client Satisfaction.

Goal 5 Develop and expand the library development efforts

Goal 6 Continue to be recognized in the top fifty public research libraries in the nation.

Goal 7 House library collections and service activities in space that meets staff and user requirements, assures the security of the collections, and enhances the operating performance and productivity of the University Libraries’ staff.

Goal 8 Maintain a leadership role in university, regional, statewide and national cooperative efforts in order to achieve more effective and efficient services for our customers.

Although its goals are long term by nature, University Libraries will place a major focus on the following objectives during academic year 2003-2004:

Obj: Increase communication with users, including those at all USC campuses, in order to keep them informed of new and changing information resources.

Obj: Continue to expand access to web based online resources for use by students, faculty and staff.

Obj: Maintain exemplary services to students, faculty and staff.

Obj: Build collections to support the educational mission of the University, provide innovative information and communication technology and remain at the cutting edge of the expanding information delivery systems.

Obj: Seek increased financial support by increasing the number of grant proposals and increasing private fund raising with special focus on the new Rare Books wings.

Obj: Provide training and education for members of the library staff to ensure they stay abreast of technology changes and provide support for scholarly activities by library faculty.

Obj: Implement LibQUAM+™ survey.

The University Libraries will utilize a number of different methods to assess its performance in accomplishing these objectives. A primary assessment tool will be the LibQUAL+™ survey, designed by the Association of Research Libraries, which is used to define and measure library service quality across institutions and to create useful quality assessment tools for local planning. In all cases, the Library intends to maintain a user satisfaction level of at least 85%. Other measures used to assess performance will be the number of grants submitted and awarded, the amount of private funding received, the percentage of the materials budget spent for electronic resources, and the number of library guides published.

As the major research library in South Carolina, the mission of the University Libraries is to provide students, faculty, and staff with comprehensive access to information essential to the teaching, research, and outreach activities of the University of South Carolina. The libraries collect, organize, conserve, and manage print and digital resources in order to provide library and information services to the University community. As campus needs for information are met services are extended, in cooperation with other libraries, throughout the state.

The University Libraries is an integral part of the educational process. It is essential to the quality of the intellectual and cultural life of the University of South Carolina. The University Libraries mission supports the University’ s mission by providing support for the University’s programs of teaching, research, and outreach activities. The University Libraries also serves as a major educational resource for the citizens of South Carolina and, when appropriate, for other libraries on a regional, national, and international level.

The University Libraries offer a wide array of traditional and electronic services to the University academic community and guests of the University. The Libraries provide services within the Thomas Cooper Library, South Caroliniana Library, Business Library, Mathematics Library and Music Library. Together with the Medical and Law Libraries, the University of South Carolina libraries currently rank 35th nationally among public institutions of higher education.

A descriptive list of service areas and the most notable of the services offered is provided in Appendix A . Many of the Libraries’ services are available through proxy databases and virtual services.

The goals established for the University Libraries required limited modification. For the upcoming strategic planning period, there will be a refocusing and combination of some goals (goal 7 will be combined with goal 1). Three additional goals will be added to address a formal assessment program to specifically measure user satisfaction, to address staff recruitment, training and development, and to address the Library’s leadership role in the statewide, regional and national arena. Due to two years of reduced state funding and the expectation that reduced funding will continue (library share so far $1,072,550), goal 5 was adjusted as follows: "to be recognized in the top fifty public universities libraries in the nation" instead of "the top fifty university libraries in the nation".

The following are the major accomplishments made during the year with respect to the Library’s stated goals and objectives.

Strategic Goal 2: Over 120 PC and Mac workstations were replaced with Pentium IV machines in the Student Computer Lab. All public workstations were also upgraded. A virtual reference service will be operational this year allowing users to request reference assistance 24 hours a day from any location. The Library’s digitization efforts have been expanded and a portion of our map, photograph, and manuscript collections are now available on the world-wide-web.

Strategic Goal 3: The results of the Library annual user survey show a user satisfaction rate of 85.1%. This is an increase over the 81.8% user satisfaction rate the previous year.

Strategic Goal 4: The Library received gifts and gifts-in-kind totaling $759,676. A major endowed gift, in the amount of $170,685, was received to establish the John C. Hungerpiller Library Research Fund and the William Davis Melton Endowment increased $123,00 through the sale of gift property. The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation donated $90,000 to arrange, preserve and describe the Hayes Mizell papers. The Music Library received a gift of $17,500 to establish a Digital Sheet Music Project. The Library continued to present programs bringing major writers to campus, notably this year George Plimpton and Christopher Buckley.

Strategic Goal 5: Despite two years of state reductions, the University administration was able to provide the Library with $300,000 to cover the cost of serials inflation. The University Libraries received two major grants: HUD grant totaling $850,000 to support Modern Political Collections and an NEH grant totaling $251,268 to process and preserve a portion of the Movietonews collection.

Strategic Goal 6: The HVAC renovation project at the South Caroliniana Library was completed and the project to refurbish every window adding storm windows and UV shields is underway. The Library is in the silent phase of a major fund raising campaign for a Special Collections addition to the Thomas Cooper Library.

The major obstacles which prevented the University Libraries from reaching a number of its goals and objectives were reduced state funding over the past two years and the state of the economy. The Library has had permanent budget reductions totaling $1,072,550. This has resulted in reduced purchasing power for library materials and necessitated not filling many library staff vacancies. Since the Association of Research Libraries bases its membership criteria index on number of volumes and serials, number of volumes added, number of staff and total library expenditures, University Libraries has dropped below the ranking of 50 for the first time in a number of years. The state of the economy has also hindered the Library’s development efforts.

The University Libraries utilized a number of different factors to assess its progress during the year. The major assessment tool was the Library’s annual user satisfaction survey. This survey was administered to students, faculty and staff of the University as well as to other users of the Library. The survey measured the user satisfaction rate for library collections and services. In order to achieve its goals and objectives the Library determined that it must achieve a satisfaction rating of at least 85%. Other assessment tools utilized were the Association of Research Libraries ratings, the amount of funds raised for endowments and gifts, the number of new web resources acquired, the number of updated computers in the Student Computer Lab, the number of events supported by the library, and whether or not funding was obtained for serials inflation.

For the most part, the Library was successful in meeting its goals and objectives. The Library did obtain a user satisfaction rate of 85.1% on its annual survey and met or surpassed the other criteria levels that had been established. The Library did not meet its goals in the area of the Association of Research Libraries ranking and in its development efforts. An explanation is provided above in the paragraph listing major obstacles.

As a result of the assessment process, some goals for the next five years were refocused and others were added to address specific issues. Goals concerning ratings of the University Libraries and developments efforts were adjusted to be more realistic in today’s environment (See Section D – Goals for the upcoming 5 years).

Goal 1 Evaluate, select, acquire, organize and preserve a collection of materials in a variety of formats (print, electronic, multi-media, etc.) as well as the equipment necessary for its use. These resources support the curricula of the University, provide the basis for a well-rounded liberal education, reflect the diverse composition of a multi-cultured community and, to the extent possible, meet the research needs of the University community.

Goal 2 Provide exceptional services that support, enhance, and promote the academic programs of the University.

Goal 3 Assist users in understanding the organization of library resources, in identifying and locating recorded information, in utilizing library services, and in developing critical thinking skills while serving as a partner in developing information literacy for lifelong learning.

Goal 4 Maintain a strategy and associated instruments to assess the University community regarding the importance and effectiveness of Library resources, services and staff in fulfilling the Library’s missions and goals to provide a realistic measure of Customer Service/Client Satisfaction.

Goal 5 Develop and expand the library development efforts in order to establish a stable foundation of multiple and diverse funding that supports the endeavors of the University Libraries.

Goal 6 Continue to be recognized in the top fifty public research libraries in the nation.

Goal 7 House library collections and service activities in space that meets staff and user requirements, assures the security of the collections, and enhances the operating performance and productivity of the University Libraries’ staff.

Goal 8 Maintain a leadership role in university, regional, statewide, and national cooperative efforts whenever possible in order to achieve more effective and efficient services for our customers.

Goal 9 Recruit, train, and develop personnel possessing the wide range of knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to meet the diverse library service requirements of the University community.

Goal 1 Evaluate, select, acquire, organize and preserve a collection of materials in a variety of formats (print, electronic, multi-media, etc.) as well as the equipment necessary for its use. These resources support the curricula of the University, provide the basis for a well-rounded liberal education, reflect the diverse composition of a multi-cultured community and, to the extent possible, meet the research needs of the University community.

Goal 2 Provide exceptional services that support, enhance, and promote the academic programs of the University.

Goal 3 Assist users in understanding the organization of library resources, in identifying and locating recorded information, in utilizing library services, and in developing critical thinking skills while serving as a partner in developing information literacy for lifelong learning.

Goal 4 Maintain a strategy and associated instruments to assess the University community regarding the importance and effectiveness of Library resources, services and staff in fulfilling the Library’s missions and goals to provide a realistic measure of Customer Service/Client Satisfaction.

Goal 5 Develop and expand the library development efforts in order to establish a stable foundation of multiple and diverse funding that supports the endeavors of the University Libraries.

Goal 6 Continue to be recognized in the top fifty public research libraries in the nation.

Goal 7 House library collections and service activities in space that meets staff and user requirements, assures the security of the collections, and enhances the operating performance and productivity of the University Libraries’ staff.

Goal 8 Maintain a leadership role in university, regional, statewide, and national cooperative efforts in order to achieve more effective and efficient services for our customers.

Goal 9 Recruit, train, and develop personnel possessing the wide range of knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to meet the diverse library service requirements of the University community.

The University Libraries will utilize a number of different methods to determine if it has accomplished its goals and objectives. Section E of the Strategic Plan 2003-2008 list not
only the goals and objectives for each goal, but strategies, assessment criteria (or indicators)
and the assessment method to be used to measure success. The primary assessment tool will be the LibQUAL+™ user survey developed by the Association of Research Libraries. Over 350 libraries, including most members of the Association of Research Libraries, are utilizing this survey to determine user satisfaction with both library collections and services. LibQUAL+ allows libraries to define and measure library service quality across institutions and to create useful quality assessment tools for local planning. This survey will be issued annually to students, faculty and staff of the University of South Carolina. University Libraries conducted its first LibQUAL+ survey during the Spring Semester 2003.

In addition to the LibQual+ survey the Library will utilize a number of additional methods to assess its accomplishments and these methods are listed in Section E., i.e. whether or not a specific target was met, a specified number of donors were contacted, a specific number of grants were obtained, whether a course was approved and is being offered, if the silent phase of the fund raising campaign raised a specific amount of money, the statistical ratings of the Association of research Libraries, etc.

SECTION G Resource Requirements

Strategic Goal 6, Objective 1
Goal 6: Continue to be recognized in the top fifty public research libraries in the nation.
Objective 1: Continue to emphasize increases or the maintenance of serials subscriptions, number of volumes added to the collection, the number of staff, and the total library expenditure as these factors dictate Association of Research Libraries rankings.

Strategic Goal 5, Objective 4
Goal 5: Develop and expand the library development efforts in order to establish a stable foundation of multiple and diverse funding that supports the endeavors of the University Libraries.
Objective 4: Identify funding for the new rare book wings

Strategic Goal 7, Objective 2
Goal 7: House library collections and service activities in space that meets staff and user requirements, assures the security of the collections, and enhances the operating performance and productivity of the University Libraries’ staff.
Objective 2: Renovate the Thomas Cooper Library for the safety, comfort and usability of all members of the University community.

The USC Online Library Catalog (USCAN) provides access to the collections of the Columbia, Regional and Senior campus libraries. It is accessible from on or off campus.  Most of the University Libraries electronic resources are available from any networked workstation on campus. These resources include databases from all major subject areas, electronic journals and electronic books.

The University Library proxy server enables remote access to the Library's electronic journals and indexes for authorized USC Columbia students, faculty and staff. The Library's proxy server provides off campus access to almost all of the library’s electronic resources and has had more than 100,000 visitors accessing these resources every year. The proxy server provides 24/7 access to electronic resources for USC researchers anywhere in the world.

The Acquisitions Department is responsible for acquiring materials which have been selected for addition to the library collection. Acquisitions purchases library materials in all format types, including books, periodicals, serials, music scores, sound recordings, videos, films, manuscripts, microforms, computer files and electronic resources.

The Acquisitions Department has developed a web based product, eRequest, that allows any individual to suggest materials for purchase. eRequest is an open site. Faculty, staff, students and those totall y unaffiliated with the University can make suggestions for purchase. In addition, eRequest is a system-wide tool and is the primary method used by the USC campuses to transmit requests for ordering.

Notable Acquisitions is a current awareness service designed to provide information on new materials added to the library collections. Updated daily and compiled monthly, individual subject, author and title lists contain materials that have been recently added to the Thomas Cooper Library collections as well as to the collections in the Business, Film, Mathematics and Music libraries.

Many Librarians serve as selectors for specific subject areas. They choose materials to purchase and work closely with teaching faculty to develop a comprehensive collection.

The South Caroliniana Library acquires materials through gifts and purchase and strives to acquire manuscript, printed and other materials relating to all aspects of South Carolina history. These acquisitions continue to strengthen the Library’s reputation as one of the premier special collections repositories in the Southeast and to provide uniquely important research opportunities to USC students and faculty as well as visiting researchers and the general public.

The Cataloging Department is responsible for the creation and maintenance of records in the USC online library catalog, USCAN, and for the organization of the collections. These records provide a means of locating information in all formats, including books, periodicals, serials, videos, maps, films, sound recordings, manuscripts, music scores, microforms, computer files, and electronic resources. Annually, the Department adds over 40,000 USCAN records for titles acquired for the collections. With over 6 million items, USCAN is a significant source of information for our research communities, both at the University and worldwide.

In order to ensure integrity in the online catalog, USCAN, the cataloging staff applies controlled vocabulary using Library of Congress Subject Headings and other internationally accepted standards. Through collaboration with other Library and University departments, this staff has the responsibility of providing access to an enriched high-quality catalog for the user.

The Binding and Preparations Unit provides the significant service of preserving and thus extending the life of the print collections.

The Circulation Department allows library users to remove materials from the building by charging the materials to the user’s account. The Circulation Department circulates, on average, over 800,000 items per year. In addition to checking out materials, users may pay fines, place holds on books, pick up and return Interlibrary Loan materials, and check out study rooms. Faculty and graduate students may apply for study carrels. Lost and found for the library is also located there.

Proxy Cards are made available to allow graduate assistants to check out library materials for faculty.

Faculty may renew books by calling or sending an e-mail message to the Circulation Department or by sending back the end-of-semester list of charged books. Faculty may request that the Reserve Department make books, articles, class notes and other course materials, videos, and personal copies available to the students of their class.

The Collection Management Department coordinates the work of librarians and teaching faculty who work together in building library collections that stro ngly support the research and teaching programs of the University.

The computer lab, located on level five of the Thomas Cooper Library, is one of the central hubs of student computing. Supported by Student Technology Fees, the Lab is the largest computer lab on campus and is open the same hours as the library. Unlike other campus computer labs, it is open to all students, faculty, and staff, regardless of departmental affiliation.

There are 126 Windows 2000 and Macintosh desktops available. There are also 15 Windows and Macintosh notebooks that can be borrowed. The notebooks can access the wireless LAN in the library, to use the Internet or to print. The Lab provides printing, CD creation, audio and video access, and scanning services. Each workstation houses current software for word processing, spreadsheet, database, slide presentation, and web page development to support the academic community. Faculty can request specific classroom applications be installed for their students to use in the lab during a given semester, and there are specific areas in the lab for image development and publication tools. In addition to general computing services such as scanning and printing, there are always consultants available to help with computer questions.

The Center for Adaptive Technology, located in the computer lab, also plays a vital role in serving students. The Center accommodates the information technology needs of students with disabilities by providing specialized software and hardware. The Center for Adaptive Technology, the only lab of its type at USC, houses the largest collection of this type of equipment on campus. The available resources include consultation and training, a software loan program, scanning and Braille services, and technical support.

Distance Education students have access to the library’s catalog, USCAN, and the library's campus-wide electronic databases through a proxy server. Interlibrary loan service is available electronically. Reference librarians are available for library instruction during on-site visits and can go to studio classrooms for televised library sessions. An e-mail reference service is available. The Circulation Department provides Distance Education borrowing cards and e-mail service for renewal and recall of borrowed materials.

Viewing equipment is available at Thomas Cooper Library and the Film Library for faculty, staff, and students who wish to view or preview films from the Educational Films or Newsfilm collections.

At the request of faculty, librarians meet with classes to provide instruction regarding information resources and research techniques specific to class projects. Librarians assist faculty to create effective library assignments and to develop resource guides. Tours of the library are offered on a continual basis throughout the year.

Faculty Express is a service that allows faculty members working under a deadline to designate their requests as priority. These items are handled by the Faculty Express Librarian, usually as soon as they are placed.

In addition to the full range of traditional library services, the Music Library offers several unique services. The Music Library provides online audio reserves for School of Music Courses. The Library provides digital access to 10,000 pieces of sheet music, including covers and each page of music. The Library also offers 32 audio visual carrels providing users with the ability to listen to recordings (all formats) or view video tapes or laser discs.

Collection Management and subject librarians work with the colleges/schools/departments in preparing official documentation for new program requests or for reaccreditation of current programs.

The Library offers mediated copying of library materials, faxing services and production of overhead transparencies. The Government Document/Microforms Department provides copying resources for microform materials.

The South Caroliniana Library’s collection is non-circulating, but the Library offers duplicating and digitizing services for the books, manuscripts, photographs and other media found in its collections.

The University Libraries produce a wide array of newsletters, user guides, bibliographies and other handouts intended to provide information regarding the libraries, services and current events.

The South Caroliniana Library has an endowed fund it uses to provide subventions to the University Press for publication of books relating to its collections.

The Libraries provide in person, telephone and email assistance from service centers located at the Main Level Reference Desk, Science Level Reference Desk and Government Documents Center in The Thomas Cooper Library. In addition, reference services are available in the Business, Mathematics, Film, Music and South Caroliniana Libraries. Together, these service points respond to over 160,000 inquiries each year.

Thomas Cooper Library Reference Staff can conduct librarian mediated searching of various fee-based database systems through their Fee-Based Online Search Service. Reference librarians offer Reference by Appointment sessions for those in need of extensive research assistance.

The Newsfilm Library preserves the unique Twentieth Century Fox Movietonews and other South Carolina collections and home movies, making these collections available to researchers in the University community and throughout the world.

The Libraries maintain the USC Campus Shuttle Service, which transports newly processed library materials, Interlibrary Loan materials, films, and campus mail to the USC Campuses each week.

Wireless network access throughout the Thomas Cooper Library provides untethered network access for faculty, staff and students using their personal computers or PDA’s to access electronic resources and materials in the library. Wireless network connectivity is also available in the library student carrels and faculty offices.

The University Libraries provide Acquisitions, Cataloging, Database Management and
Interlibrary Loan Services to the USC Regional and Senior Campus Libraries. Collection Management distributes to the campuses lists of materials available to them from gifts to and withdrawals from the collections