The strategic planning process for the Wayne State University (WSU) Libraries included a series of methodologies to examine the library strengths and areas of excellence; areas for improvement or opportunities; critical areas to focus on over the next three to five years; and key priorities for inclusion in a new strategic plan. A Steering Committee of library staff was appointed to provide leadership for the planning process. This group worked closely with planning consultants and engaged with all library staff and the Dean’s Leadership Council throughout the process to collect feedback.
Ten focus groups with sixty library staff were conducted using a modified SOAR framework for identifying strengths, opportunities, aspirations and results. Three surveys addressing four goal areas of the university’s strategic plan, Our Moment in Time: 2022–27 Strategic Plan, were made available to all library staff. Over 100 comments were received. Eight university stakeholders were interviewed using a set of guided questions to understand university opportunities and challenges, the current and potential role and relationship with the libraries, and opportunities for collaboration with campus entities.
These three methodologies resulted in a large corpus of rich data and indicated areas of agreement as well as space for new ideas. Responses addressed areas viewed as strengths of the libraries, and at the same time, emphasized opportunities for both tangible resources, organizational improvements, and external services. Responses emphasized a need to both modernize technical infrastructure and spaces while maintaining and enhancing traditional library services that directly support teaching and research activities. There was also a clear recommendation for better integration with the broader campus research community. Finally, the responses highlighted the need for both dedicated personnel and strategic planning to make outreach efforts more systematic rather than reactive, while maintaining appropriate spaces for community engagement.
All of the data were analyzed into the following theme areas:
The Steering Committee further discussed and refined the themes into goals and objectives.