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Chapter 4 - Academic Goals and Strategies to Build Distinction

Goal 6: Lead and Innovate in the Creation, Management, and Delivery of Scholarly Resources in Support of Teaching and Research

Indispensable to our academic mission, Duke's libraries and advanced technological environment must remain nimble and responsive to the changing needs of faculty and students. Faculty and student expectations for easy and immediate access to information resources of all types will increase dramatically as teaching, learning, and research become more interdisciplinary, collaborative, and interactive. If Duke is to be a leader in scholarly and pedagogical innovation, we must acknowledge and support the key role of our libraries and information infrastructure, especially in light of rapid technological change.

To do so, we will pursue the following three key strategies:

  • Coordinate and expand library resources and services to maximize support for interdisciplinary initiatives, teaching, learning, and research
  • Exploit digital technology to provide convenient, seamless access to scholarly resources
  • Enhance Duke's information and instructional technology resources

Coordinate and expand library resources and services to maximize support for interdisciplinary initiatives, teaching, learning, and research

The interdisciplinary initiatives that increasingly characterize Duke will not succeed without deeper and more visible collaboration among all campus libraries, i.e., those of the Perkins system and the professional schools. All libraries share the responsibility of supporting and serving the broader campus information needs and new academic initiatives, many of which cross not just departmental, but also school lines. It is essential that the libraries develop a shared vision and mission; maximize communication; pool knowledge, resources, and perspectives; and create common policies and efficiencies to provide the highest level of service and satisfaction to the wider Duke community and its component parts. To do so, we must strengthen and preserve collections, reorganize staff to serve interdisciplinary centers, and expand instruction programs in cross-disciplinary areas. Strong library collections and convenient access to them - services that not only respond to needs but anticipate them - and inviting facilities will attract and help retain excellent faculty and students.

Capitalizing on the success of Bostock's new library spaces and the von der Heyden Pavilion, completing the Perkins Project, and defining the scope of our other library facilities will be critical in the coming years. Including flexible teaching spaces will enhance the centrality of the libraries and further integrate technology with information resources. With the relocation of materials and services to a new Central Campus library facility in support of the study of visual culture, Lilly Library will realize its full potential as a first-year gateway to library collections and services. A planned expansion of the Library Service Center will allow for the ongoing transfer of selected low-use print materials to an offsite facility.

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