Strategic Plan

Our Vision: 

The Arthur Lakes Library is the collaborative partner and intellectual hub that bridges disciplines and communities across the Mines campus.  

Arthur Lakes Library Strategic Plan 

Meeting the Information Needs of Innovation: 2025-2030 

Libraries, higher education, science, and engineering are all deep into a period of protracted change that shows no signs of slowing. Technology, economics, and policies related to information, innovation, and scholarship are all changing with a rapidity that demands libraries strategically adapt even as they hold fast to values that will advance knowledge. This strategic plan for the Arthur Lakes Library at the Colorado School of Mines reflects the reality that we must flexibly adapt to uncertainties and change while anchoring our work in core principles, including our commitment to meeting the evolving needs of STEM research and education. 

Our plan offers an overarching five-year strategy with shorter term action plans that can be adjusted as circumstances change. It recognizes increased differentiation in institutions of higher education, that Mines has and will continue to distinguish itself from other universities and outlines a subsequently distinct and specific plan for the Arthur Lakes Library. Our plan allows for and welcomes growth but also acknowledges challenging financial realities.  

Four campus directions are at the core of this strategic plan: 

• The undergraduate student population at Mines has increased significantly in terms of FTE as well as on-campus living, and there is a demonstrable demand on library services as a result. Alongside this growth, a distinctive student experience continued to develop on campus that needs to be mirrored in library strategies. 

• Intended growth in graduate programs, particularly non-thesis master’s degrees and online education, will increase demand for library services. 

• Changes in research activities require various forms of library support. 

• A focus on innovation and an entrepreneurial mindset, both in our work and in how we educate students and understand the impact of research, will guide our strategy and action planning. 

Four strategies guide how we will adapt to changes inside and outside of Mines. Over the course of the next five years, we will: 

• Prioritize evolving information services 

• Advance collections and content management approaches to meet changing needs 

• Improve the physical library as a collaborative, intellectual space 

• Embrace organizational flexibility and future-readiness 

While these strategies will point us in the right direction, yearly action plans may change with circumstances. But our vision, that “we are a collaborative partner and intellectual hub that bridges disciplines and communities,” will not change. The library is a place where Mines climbs together.  

Strategy One: Prioritize Evolving Information Services 

As enrollment and research activities have increased, so have partnerships that require us to teach and consult. Changing business models in publishing and advances in technology have made information literacy more important, and more complicated than ever. Prioritizing evolving information services over the course of the next five years, we will: 

AY 2025-2026 Action Plan 

• Determine areas of greatest impact / additional need with respect to information literacy, research support, and open science 

• Analyze service needs for entrepreneurship and innovation (E+I) initiatives (e.g. patent searching, market analysis) 

• Pilot more in-depth consultation services as a supplement to point-of-need services 

• Define sustainable partnerships and service levels 

• Evaluate alternative platforms for and further promote the Mines Repository 

Strategy Two: Advance collections and content management approaches to meet changing needs 

Our collections and content management approaches serve our community well. Moving forward, we anticipate volatility in the scholarly ecosystem that will require continued development in how we manage collections and content. We require new approaches that expand access to digital collections and discovery tools. Advancing collections and content management approaches to meet changing needs, we will: 

AY 2025-2026 Action Plan 

• Assess content needs for new initiatives such as E+I and non-thesis graduate programs 

• Promote and expand the use of distinctive and primary source collections in teaching and research, and develop a plan for economical management of these collections 

• Evaluate new discovery, synthesis, and analysis tools enabled by advances in artificial intelligence 

• Grow internal and external partnerships that may expand access to digital content  

• Partner with campus stakeholders to identify vulnerabilities caused by changes in licensing, publishing business models, and impacts on library purchasing power 

• Partner with IT to integrate Course Readings into Canvas 

Strategy Three: Improve the physical library as a collaborative, intellectual space 

As a place of learning, where services and technologies are the primary focus, and information literacy is at the center, we are integral to the E+I ecosystem at Mines. Spaces for teaching, learning, and technology coexist with places to study, collaborate, or meet at Book & Brew for a beverage, conversation, and networking. Continuing to improve the physical library as a collaborative, intellectual space, we will:  

AY 2025-2026 Action Plan 

• Analyze possibilities for increasing the proportion of square footage assigned to services and users 

• Collaborate with campus partners on a new vision for the physical library space 

• Assess and address issues related to accessibility, usability, and belongingness  

• Create a plan to use the operations budget to improve spaces

Strategy Four: Embrace organizational flexibility and future-readiness  

We adapt to changes in the information landscape. This work has included strategically adopting new technologies and ways of working, knowing, and collaborating. As ever, change lays ahead in the next five years, especially with AI which is impacting information creation, use, and discovery. To embrace organizational flexibility and future-readiness, we will:  

AY 2025-2026 Action Plan 

• Launch an initiative on AI and the Library that develops a plan for the ethical adoption of it in our workflows and services 

• Evaluate potential joint initiatives between the Library and Museum of Earth Sciences 

• Pilot a new initiatives fund with endowment money 

• Expand support for professional development 

• Create business and operational continuity plans, including cross-training for positions, units, and/or workflows 

• Implement new promotion guidelines for Library academic faculty 

How we got here, what’s next 

This strategic plan is informed by conversations with and surveys of faculty, students, and campus leaders, as well as a variety of data sources, including use of our collections, services, and spaces, and benchmark analyses of libraries in peer institutions. 

This plan is a dynamic document that will be evaluated yearly to update, reassess, and revise the action plans for all four strategies. Each year, action plans may continue, be modified, discontinued, or removed due to completion. All library staff members will provide input, and a temporary committee will be responsible for updating the document. 

The Arthur Lakes Library at the Colorado School of Mines is committed to meeting the evolving needs of STEM research and education. This strategic plan underscores our commitment to these fields, focusing on our unique services, collections, spaces, and our organization during times of uncertainty.