UK: Research Libraries: RLUK Publishes 2011 – 2014 Strategic Plan

From an Intro by the Chairman of RLUK, Phil Sykes:

This is the second of our strategic plans under the title The Power of Knowledge, and outlines our strategy for the period 2011-14. The funding and policy environment in the UK is in the midst of significant change, and research libraries are facing the challenges of reduced funding, increased competition, and wider and more diverse audiences.

Our approach to meeting these pressures is to build collective capacity through a strong model of collaboration and partnership. We will extend the scope of our collaborations by fostering closer interaction between our own members and by extending our links with external partners. Our aim is to optimise the contribution which the UK’s biggest research libraries make to the economic, technological and cultural success of the UK. There has never been a stronger link between the quality of the information infrastructure for research and digital literacy and the health of the economy.

This plan re-affirms our vision, mission and values and follows the approach of setting a three-year planning horizon supported by a rolling forward look. Our new strategic aims will blend established forward commitments with objectives designed to address emergent aspects of the work of research libraries. Core aims developed in the first planning period – developing the research library workforce, resource discovery and building the new information research environment – are carried through and reshaped as part of the five aims in the new plan. We will meld this longer-term engagement with the flexibility to reinterpret and extend these aims in response to emerging issues.

The five strategic aims for 2011-14 outline distinctive priorities, but they should be seen as part of an integrated approach, cross- referencing common issues and building capacity across a range of activity. Each priority will have a specific set of objectives indicating the actions we will take to move forward. We will then develop more detailed business and operational plans to support these.

Direct to the Full Text: The Power of Knowledge, Phase Two, 2011 – 2014

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