As Rensselaer moves towards its goal of achieving prominence
as a top-tier world class technological research university,
the Libraries’ vision is to support the Rensselaer Plan by
providing seamless access to the widest possible spectrum of
information resources relevant to Rensselaer’s research and
learning communities and to be a distinctive campus facility
serving a variety of community needs.
Strategies
The strategies to achieve the Libraries’ vision include
- Continuing the revitalization and refurbishment of the
Folsom Library by creating collaborative learning and social
spaces aimed at enabling learning and discovery;
- Working with campus and external committees to review and
advise on library plans, strategies, policies and practices
relating to its resources, services and the integration of
programs with the university community;
- Creating a dynamic organizational structure responsive to
the demands for developing and maintaining 21st century
library services;
- Maintaining a continuous evaluation program of
collections to create programmatic space and facilitate ease
of access to resources;
- Facilitating the preservation of unique digital works of
long term value to Rensselaer, e.g. dissertations and
theses;
- Participating in the promotion and development of library
consortia, particularly ConnectNY and NYSHEI;
- Exploiting new technologies to empower researchers to
become effective and self-sufficient information
seekers;
- Seeking mechanisms for expanding the engagement of
faculty, researchers and students in the selection of
information resources;
- Working with Institute Advancement on development
opportunities to increase library endowments; and
- Collaborating with campus organizations to sponsor
programs and events celebrating intellectual achievement and
creativity.
Details about how the Libraries implement these strategies
appear in the annual Performance Plan of the Division of the
Chief Information Officer.
Library collections and facilities are resources to be
shared and used cooperatively by members of the Rensselaer
community. As stewards of those resources, the Rensselaer
Libraries strive to provide services and follow policies that
are in concert with the values of intellectual freedom and the
tenets of the American Library Association’s
Library Bill of Rights.
