Our Mission and Goals
Our Mission
Library and Information Services supports the work and mission of the Luther College community by providing:
- access to appropriate communication and information resources,
- expertise and training in the effective and efficient use of information, and
- a place to explore and express ideas, ourselves, and our community.
Our Goals
A focus on our constituents and their work to support the mission of Luther College
We will work to understand our place in the institution where we can best support the work of the organization, and we will adapt our work to respond to the changing needs of the College.
Support for students
We will seek to provide appropriate, quality information tools and services to students enrolled at Luther College. Though we prioritize and place our emphasis on the academic information resources required to successfully complete the curriculum, we recognize that LIS-provided library and technology services are important recreational and social services supplementing residential life at Luther. We will seek to engage the student community and to understand the perspectives of students when assessing and evaluating tools and services to ensure they are appropriately meeting their needs.
Support for faculty
We will seek to provide appropriate, quality information tools and services to faculty of Luther College. We recognize the increasing importance that information literacy and technology fluency skills play in the curriculum, and will work to deploy tools and services that support the faculty in teaching and growing these skills in our students. Our focus and priority will be on maintaining information resources and tools that primarily support undergraduate teaching and research.
Support for administration
We will seek to provide appropriate, quality information tools and services to the administration of Luther College. We will seek to partner with our administrative colleagues to provide excellent oversight and care of our administrative information, and our administrative workflows.
Engaging and collaborating with our peers
We will build strong relationships with peer institutions and peer networks to become better aware of the state of our profession, to gather ideas and learn skills from our professional colleagues, and to share the expertise of our staff with others.
Depth and breadth in resources
We will deliver the best appropriate resources available to us to allow our users to succeed academically and professionally in their work at a liberal arts college. We will work to continually assess and improve the research tools and technology infrastructure that comprise our strategic information resources.
Simplicity in product, tool, and service
We will strive to provide simple and effective products tools, and services for our users. We will value their experience and perspective, while focusing our efforts on enhancing their workflows in meaningful ways. Our products, tools and services should not get in their way, but should allow them to accomplish their work more efficiently.
Innovation in products, tools, and service
We will value and pursue original innovative thinking in our field and will continually seek to develop a better user experience for our community of users. We seek to make systems better for our users and not just change things for the sake of change.
Integrated information organization and services
We will build a stronger integrated information organization that respects the historical traditions of information professionals and also engenders an innovative and pioneering attitude for delivering integrated information service.
Staff excellence
We will seek to hire, and maintain staff with an unparalleled commitment to service, outstanding skills, and team orientation. We will work to provide opportunities for professional growth and ongoing skills development for our existing staff and celebrate exceptional achievements. We will work to support our colleagues by encouraging one another to excel and succeed.
