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Library Services
  1. Library Services
  2. About us
  3. Vision for Library Services

Vision for Library Services

Our vision is that by 2030, Queen Mary Libraries will be making major contributions to the strategic ambitions of the University relating to learning, research and reputation.

A research-intensive university without a high profile academic library service is unthinkable. An academic library service provides essential information resources, spaces, expertise and services to everyone within the university community, and offers an approachable entry point to the institution for those outside of it. As a result, it can be a powerful lever for success in learning and research, and a window through which the world can see the university at work.

Ambitions

Our ambitions for 2030 are that:

  • Queen Mary Libraries will be delivering a wide range of information resources and services for learners and researchers which are user-centred, digital-first, seamless at the point of use, equitable to access and truly co-created, fully reflecting the diversity of our university community and aspiring to meet the needs of each individual within it
  • Queen Mary Libraries will be actively strengthening and diversifying our unique collections, encompassing historic archives, rare books, born-digital research data, and the university’s collections of art and artefacts, embracing our role as custodians of the memory of our institution, and working closely with educators and research leads to ensure that our collections are actively used to support the University’s inclusive curriculum and Research Highways
  • Queen Mary Libraries will be offering a wide range of easily accessible spaces, which engender a sense of wonder, inspiration and pride, which fully support and integrate the physical and the digital aspects of independent learning and research, and which cement a sense of emotional connection and belonging to Queen Mary and to academic life in general
  • Queen Mary Libraries will be playing a key role in making the work of the university visible to the outside world, through advocating and practically supporting open approaches to publishing and scholarship, through hosting open exhibitions and events, and by making library spaces more porous to the local community through strategic engagements with partners in support of the Civic University Agreement
     

Principles

  • We will provide swift access to the academic information resources that students require to underpin their learning
  • We will support students at all levels to develop the skills that they need to succeed in academia and in life
  • We will work in partnership with students to develop and improve our services, resources and study environments
  • We will develop new ways of working in partnership with researchers
  • We will build and preserve unique and distinctive collections in specific areas of focus
  • We will facilitate access to the world’s collective knowledge as foundations for research and innovation
  • We will enable the Queen Mary research community to curate, disseminate and preserve their research outputs, following the principles of open scholarship and responsible use of metrics
  • We will provide high quality buildings and study spaces which help our students and researchers to reach their full potential
  • We will manage our collections effectively to support the current needs of Queen Mary and to preserve access for future generations
  • We will provide digital environments which help our students and researchers to efficiently navigate a complex information landscape
  • We will ensure that all students studying online and at Queen Mary’s overseas sites have access to the library resources and services that they require for academic success
  • We will engage with a wide range of audiences through exhibitions and events, enhancing the research profile and local visibility of Queen Mary and promoting a sense of pride and belonging
  • We will participate in collaborative networks at local, national and international levels, contributing our expertise and benefitting from the expertise of others
  • We will understand and embrace diversity in everything that we do
  • We will care for the wellbeing of one another and of our service users
  • We will provide a service which is both friendly and efficient
  • We will continuously develop our knowledge and skills
  • We will work to a high standard of ethics and professionalism
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