Deans Update

How does space, beyond classrooms and labs, influence learning? Measuring and explaining this has been the challenge our leadership team faces as we attempt to determine how the Libraries can gauge its contribution to the University’s strategic plan, specifically in the areas of academic excellence and improvement of the student experience.

This is a challenging question for which no commonly accepted practices or standards apply.

Several of the Libraries' recent activities have related to its role in building community connections. Many of these are featured in this issue of In Circulation. Faculty participating in the first departments to undertake campus program alignment and review [PAR] began to enter data into the live Faculty Portfolios on February 1st.

The start of a new year draws us to think of what is ahead.   This issue of In Circulation highlights several services and information resources that have been introduced to improve convenience to access ideas and build Drexel’s connections to scholarship.  Here, I foreshadow initiatives that are on the horizon.

As 2012 winds down, the Libraries is proud to launch new initiatives that are in direct response to student or faculty feedback and we continue to seek your input.

Last spring, a student came to my office with a request to offer extended access to laptop computers. The student expressed concern that carrying a laptop around campus into the late night hours was not only burdensome, but also a safety risk. The Libraries already provide laptops and other equipment to members of the Drexel community during our service hours, but I’m excited to announce that we were able to meet this request. Beginning in December, students are able to borrow Mac laptops anytime from a self-checkout kiosk located in the Bookmark Café.

September has long felt like the New Year for many of us in academic settings as we prepare to welcome new faces, enthusiastic in beginning their educational journey either as students, faculty or staff at Drexel. We comment on how quickly the last year flew by – even with this summer’s heat – and ring out the old and toast the new.

Thoughts of easy living and days at the beach are not far from our focus in the Libraries. Many of our staff have taken time off this summer to enjoy a break from the fast-paced schedule at Drexel while others have spent time traveling to professional development events and conferences.

In this issue, I invite you to read more about how the Libraries is responding to changes in how and where one looks for information.

The planning for a new year is traditionally accompanied by reflection on what happened over the past twelve months.  Fiscal year 2012 was a milestone year for the future of Drexel University Libraries.  The year began with the Libraries’ Future Search Conference, which helped to develop four strategic directions, and the year ended with the announcement of the finalized strategic initiatives that will guide the Libraries' activities for the next five years.  The four directions are not just concepts in a plan, but are already framing the road-map that illustrates where the Libraries is going.

One of the Libraries’ key strategic directions is to build connections, especially between members of Drexel’s community and scholarship. As summarized in our 2012 - 2017 Strategic Directions, the Libraries’ staff strives to strengthen these important links. In this issue of In Circulation, you will find details about a few new initiatives underway to support this objective.

The Libraries’ staff brings a wealth of expertise and experience to assist students in their exploration of ideas, as well as seasoned researchers in their creation of new knowledge and with the organization of data and publishing results. To introduce these librarians, archivists, information professionals and service staff, the Libraries has launched new biography pages. and I invite you to visit them to learn more about our staff. You can also check out this year's staff celebration recipients who exemplify the Libraries' staff collaboration, innovation and dedicated service improvements.

The success of a new building or a renovation can be gauged in many ways – but none better than by the actions and reactions of the users of the space. As the Libraries addresses the strategic direction to build learning environments that enable self-directed learning, we explore what contributes to such an environment, including the expectations for library spaces. In this issue of In Circulation, I will summarize two recent assessments.