Overview

Background

This project follows on from the Collections Strategy 2022-25 paper submitted to Library Committee on 23rd February 2022, where it was given approval to progress with the Collections Strategy documentation. 

With regards to this original paper, it has been through initial consultation with colleagues across L&UC together with USD and has been discussed with selected individual academic colleagues to provide initial feedback and input. Following feedback from Library Committee and College Library Committees in reference to this paper, further consultation will include a student focus group and colleagues from comparator HE libraries as part of this project.  

This project has been initiated to support the creation of a new Collections Strategy which is being developed to inform the management and development of Library General Collections over the next 3 years, 2022-2025. 

The Collections Strategy will contribute to the following outcomes set out in Strategy 2030 

• The undergraduate curriculum will support breadth and choice, preparing students, graduates and alumni to make a difference in whatever they do, wherever they do it. 

• Improved digital outreach will see us enabling global participation in education. 

• We will have more user-friendly processes and efficient systems to support our work 

• Our estate will be fit for purpose, sustainable and accessible. We will support learning, research and collaboration with our neighbours, businesses and partners. 

The Collections Strategy will include guiding principles and objectives to: 

• Provide access to a dynamic, evolving and relevant collection of resources in all formats to support teaching, learning and research in the University. 

• Increase the range of Library resources that students can access and to provide consistent University-wide services to support all University of Edinburgh students and researchers and other user communities 

• Increase the range and amount of online Library resources, supporting students and researchers wherever they’re located. 

• Ensure efficient processes to acquire Library resources and to provide user-friendly services to support access to collections. 

• Ensure the best use of Library spaces in the management and development of physical Library collections. 

We are in a rapidly changing collections environment and there are a number of significant factors which have an impact on how we develop our General Collections and therefore on what we include in our Collections Strategy. These include: 

• Evolving collection formats and e-publication models. 

• Transition to Open Access. 

• Curriculum Transformation. 

• Changing student requirements and expectations. 

• Evolving research needs. 

• Collections infrastructure (space, budget, staff resource). 

• National and international library networks and collaborative services. 

In line with the widespread global view of the role of academic libraries, the Collections Strategy will reflect that the value of University of Edinburgh Libraries is located not just in the physical collections in our Library buildings and in the millions of electronic resources made immediately available to members of the University, but also in the services offered to acquire resources on demand and to provide rapid access to electronic and physical resources located elsewhere. 

Scope

The scope of the COLL002 project will cover the Collections Strategy which pertains to University of Edinburgh General Collections in all formats and at all sites. General Collections are Library resources supporting teaching, learning and research which are not part of the University’s Heritage Collections due to their date of publication, value, provenance, scarcity or local relevance. 

The Strategy will include Guiding Principles for General Collections to support the consistent updating, development and implementation of policies and procedures. 

It is proposed that the Collections Strategy consists of two main elements: Guiding Principles and Collections Objectives which requires to be completed by July 2023. 

Out of scope

• The Strategy will not include detailed procedures and policies.  

• Special Collections are excluded from this strategy document and deemed out of scope. 

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Objectives and Deliverables

The deliverables are prioritised using the MoSCoW prioritisation method: 

M=Must Have; S=Should Have; C=Could Have; W=Want

• M= has to be satisfied for the final solution to be acceptable in terms of delivery dates, compliance, viability etc. 
• S= high-priority requirement that should be included if possible -workarounds may be available
• C= a nice-to-have requirement 
• W= want but will not be part of this project) 

Benefits

Success Criteria

• Input from Students and Academic colleagues to develop a Collections Strategy to effectively manage and provide access to Library General Collections. 

• A collections strategy document that is clear and concise and understood by students, academics etc 

• Strategy Document can be communicated easily and marketed to advertise activity 

• Guiding Principles that can be utilised by Library staff to develop policy and procedures. 

Project Milestones