UCSD Libraries Instruction & Outreach Committee
Strategic Plan
July 2006 – June 2009

Introduction

The UCSD Libraries Instruction and Outreach Committee (IOC) takes a libraries-wide, collaborative approach to providing instruction and outreach services for the UCSD community.  This document is the product of a year-long strategic planning process completed by the entire committee membership.  It serves as a framework for prioritizing and accomplishing IOC goals, outcomes and strategies over the next three years.  The goals presented in this document are written broadly and allow for the plan to be implemented both realistically and creatively.  The Instruction and Outreach Committee will align its strategic plan, as applicable, with the UCSD Libraries strategic plan.

Instruction & Outreach Committee Charge

Develop, implement, recommend and coordinate UCSD Libraries user instruction and outreach policies, programs, projects, facilities, tools and budgets.

Advocate for UCSD and UC-wide support of library instruction activities and initiatives. Serve as contact point for UC-level library instruction activities and initiatives.

Improve library instruction and outreach programs by coordinating and implementing changes, based on user need.
Partner with Library Human Resources Department to provide instructional improvement training and collaboration opportunities for UCSD Libraries staff responsible for user education.  Collect and disseminate information about emerging trends and initiatives in library instruction and outreach.

Goal 1. Develop, implement, recommend and coordinate UCSD Libraries user instruction and outreach policies, programs, projects, facilities, tools and budgets.
Objectives:

1. Examine the structure of IOC and present recommendations. (YEAR 1)
2. Schedule IOC or a designated subgroup to meet once a year to decide on priorities for the coming year (programs/resources and audiences/target groups). (YEAR 1)
3. Clarify the relationship between IOC and the College Outreach Liaisons.  Arrange for one of the College Outreach Librarians to serve as a representative on IOC and, as such, to participate in the yearly collaborative outreach priorities planning. (YEAR 1)
4. Increase libraries-wide collaborative instruction for common resources, e.g. RefWorks.
5. Increase libraries-wide collaborative outreach for common resources.
6. Implement the mobile laptop classroom and measure its use. (YEAR 1)
7. Identify the minimum hardware, software and facility needs for all the classrooms, including the mobile laptops, and identify any new needs.

Goal 2.  Advocate for UCSD and UC-wide support of library instruction activities and initiatives.  Serve as contact point for UC-level library instruction activities and initiatives.
Objectives:

1. Partner with Library Administration to implement UCSD WASC information literacy goals.
2. Advise campus constituencies on information literacy as needed.

Goal 3.  Improve library instruction and outreach programs by coordinating and implementing changes, based on user need.
Objectives:

1. Determine user needs for improvements and changes to IOC instruction and outreach activity.

• Devise 3 year user needs assessment plan. (YEAR 1)

2. Assess Instruction

• Assessment of IOC instruction activity
• Develop, implement and analyze standard assessment methods for instruction for use by IOC.
• Assess IOC collaborative instruction and measure impact/reach/and degree of curricular integration.
• Implement changes based on assessment results.

B.  Assessment tools for general use by library units

• Develop a toolbox of assessment tools for librarians to use in individual instruction. (YEAR 1)

3. Assess Outreach
1. Develop, implement and analyze standard assessment methods for outreach for use by IOC (and library units).
2. Implement changes based on assessment results.

Goal 4. Partner with Library Human Resources Department to provide instructional improvement training and collaboration opportunities for UCSD Libraries staff responsible for user education.  Collect and disseminate information about emerging trends and initiatives in library instruction and outreach.
Objectives:

1. Identify what instruction and outreach librarians need to improve their work, and develop the solutions to get those needs met. (YEAR 1)

• Create a survey instrument to distribute to instruction librarians.
• Identify, recommend and/or implement training opportunities for library staff interested in instruction and outreach.
• Offer library staff training programs on instruction and outreach/marketing tools and topics.
• Develop a list of instructional improvement training and collaboration opportunities to pursue with Library Human Resources.
• Develop and sustain a professional learning community to serve as a forum and resource for sharing and training library staff responsible for user education. (YEAR 1)

2. Identify and implement means to communicate and disseminate information among librarians interested in instruction/outreach, as well as instruction/outreach information of interest to library staff at large. (YEAR 1)

• Start a digital newsletter like Diglet for keeping staff up to date.
• Revitalize and continue developing the iLibrarian blog.
• Improve reporting of instruction/outreach successes (and “failures”) among branches, through whichever outlets are appropriate.
• Improve conference and workshop reporting of emerging trends and ideas related to instruction/outreach.