Academic Engagement
Mission and Overarching Goal
The University of Central Florida Libraries mission states, “By providing information resources and services, facilities and technology, the University of Central Florida Libraries supports learning and teaching, research, creation of knowledge, intellectual growth, and enrichment of the academic experience.” Academic Engagement works in close collaboration with other library units to support all aspects of the Libraries’ mission, but the main responsibility and focus of the division is the delivery of services related to the teaching and research functions of the institution.
Academic libraries, like the institutions they support, are facing a landscape characterized by an accelerating rate of change, shrinking revenue streams, and a greater focus on educational outcomes. Libraries also are faced with meeting faculty needs related to new modes of scholarly communication and funding mandates, the imperative to demonstrate their value in support of the University’s teaching and research missions, and a renewed focus on supporting goals and initiatives identified by the University.
For UCF Libraries’ Academic Engagement division (comprised of the Curriculum Materials Center , the Downtown Campus Library, Research and Information Services, Scholarly Communication, and Student Learning & Engagement.), this environment imposes a sense of urgency as well as an opportunity to take a strategic and proactive stance in developing, offering, and marketing innovative library services that meet the needs of a large metropolitan research institution. In doing so we are guided by the following five Strategic Priorities.
Strategic Priorities
SP 1: Automate the user experience, as warranted, by implementing strategic technologies that reflect the priorities of UCF while serving the broader academic community.
SP 2: Provide the best customer service possible and proactively monitor and respond to changing user behaviors and needs. Ensure that physical and virtual library spaces are designed to support student and faculty success.
SP 3: Cultivate strategic alliances across the University community by supporting campus collaborations that increase student learning and advance research conducted at the institution.
SP 4: Integrate Library services across all aspects and levels of the University’s teaching and research missions by aligning new and existing services to the needs of University administrative units, program faculty, and students.
SP 5: Demonstrate value by rebranding the Library as a powerful resource for the University community and increasing awareness of its services.