Mission and Values

The CSUMB Library provides information resources, user-centered services, and an inviting, collaborative environment to foster intellectual curiosity, sustain scholarship and creativity, and inspire lifelong learning for the diverse community we serve.

Access

We offer all members of the CSUMB community the opportunity, support, and tools to engage meaningfully with a wide variety of information resources relevant to their academic, intellectual, and creative endeavors.

Service

We strive to provide excellent, timely, courteous, and equitable service to all library users and to each other.

Student Success

We value the success of all students and employ a forward-thinking, creative, and multifaceted approach in supporting their diverse needs and interests.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We value diversity, equity, and the inclusion of different identities and ideas as fundamental to learning, development, and a sense of belonging at CSUMB. We strive for fairness and equity in all of our decisions, practices, and services.

Intellectual Inquiry

We value working collaboratively with our diverse campus community to ensure user-centered learning experiences.

Learning

We celebrate inquiry, critical thinking, and the pursuit of knowledge to develop deeper understanding.

Innovation

We aim to anticipate users' evolving needs, and provide a more satisfying, efficient, and successful library experience.

Stewardship

We preserve materials that reflect the intellectual, cultural, and historical record of our communities, while making effective and responsible use of available resources.

Serving the Greater Community

We value social justice and service to the greater community. We promote active service and civic engagement, especially within the tri-county area.

Continuous Improvement

We strive to create a culture of continuous improvement in which we seek and use feedback, make decisions based on evidence, and embrace learning opportunities that advance professional and organizational growth.

The Library’s Priorities are consistent with the Academic Affairs plan, as described in Advancing the Vision: Academic Affairs Commitments, Goals, and Strategies. Likewise, the Priorities support the Graduation Initiative 2025. These Priorities are subject to continuing review and refinement.

- As an organization committed to Student Success, the Library will
- Challenge all students with high academic standards and inspire and motivate self-efficacy
  - Deliver effective, impactful information literacy instruction
    - Work to ensure that every student is information literate by graduation
  - Maintain a robust open access digital repository to preserve CSUMB scholarship and creative works
  - Recognize student achievement through library research awards
  - Provide infrastructure for CSUMB open access publishing
- Acknowledge that student success is a multidimensional challenge requiring us to be agile and creative in supporting our students
  - Examine all library programs and services through the lens of “student success”
  - Collaborate closely with TAL based partner organizations to support student success. Assess how library policies support partner organizations’ ability to succeed
  - Support development of the Student Success information (“concierge”) service to help students navigate campus support services
  - Develop support structures, services, and protocols to support online and satellite location instruction
- Reduce administrative barriers, increase transparency of services, and create greater opportunity for academic engagement
  - Eliminate library daily fines for routine overdue items
  - Expand the library’s role in providing affordable learning materials
  - Continue to assess and adjust library hours as needed
- Collaborate with the Student Affairs Division to provide a holistic, integrated approach to student success
  - Expand availability of library-based wellness activities and services
    - e.g., Extend some Welcome to Finals services throughout the semester
- Help students create and achieve meaningful personal and professional goals
  - Develop lifetime critical thinking skills through information literacy instruction
  - Showcase student research and creativity
    - Promote the Digital Commons institutional repository
- Assure the relevance and currency of all academic programs
  - Rethink the library’s information literacy instruction program
    - Maintain and improve quality while addressing expected growth in enrollment and changes to the curriculum
    - Devise ways to appropriately scaffold and integrate high impact practices into library instruction and services
  - Assure that library collections provide appropriate support for CSUMB learning and research priorities
    - Periodically assess collections for alignment with curricular needs
  - Support the continuing development of library faculty and staff skills and expertise
  - Contribute to University-wide initiatives to improve quality, persistence, retention, and graduation rates
    - Support the Graduation Initiative 2025
    - Support the AASCU Reimagining the First Year Initiative
    - Support a General Education program through IL instruction in appropriate GE areas
- Provide equitable and appropriate access to library services, programs, information resources, and learning spaces for all library users
  - Conduct regular assessments of library collections, facilities, and services to identify and understand equity and access challenges
  - Eliminate administrative, physical, and technological barriers to library access
  - Provide appropriate and accommodating learning spaces for diverse user needs
  - Ensure that physical and virtual library information resources are easily accessible to all users
- As an organization committed to Stewardship and Global Engagement, the library will
- Strengthen partnerships across the region and the world to increase educational attainment
  - Leverage CSU library partnerships, e.g.,
    - ULMS
    - Collection Sharing
    - Cooperative Purchasing
    - Assessment Strategies
  - Contribute to collaborative initiatives that enhance access to information resources for the regional community, e.g.,
    - MOBAC
    - SCELC
  - Engage in regional professional development opportunities to enhance the library’s ability to support student success
  - Share best practices with the regional library community
- Commit to proactive outreach within the CSUMB community
  - Improve the CSUMB community’s awareness of the library’s collections, services, and programs.
    - Develop a communication plan to provide ongoing informational updates
    - Make effective use of the library liaison program to inform colleges, departments, and programs of library offerings
  - Seek opportunities to collaborate with partners university-wide in support of student success
  - Promote the library as a collaborative center of learning, creativity, and scholarship
  - Mentor and advise students regarding library and information services careers
    - Create a pipeline for future library staff
- Provide contemporary and innovative online and community-located educational opportunities
  - Assure access to library information resources and services at all regional campus sites
  - Develop support processes for North Salinas, King City, and Salinas City Center locations
- Provide students with experiences and skills to enhance their sense of social responsibility and commitment to social justice at home and in the world
  - Support the study of a broad range of social issues, both local and global, through collections and research services
  - Provide information literacy instruction to enhance exploration of social responsibility and social justice
- Contribute to increased sustainable economic development in the region
  - Support curricular programs such as sustainable hospitality, social services, and service learning through focused library collections
  - Cultivate community connections
- Contribute to increased art and cultural development in the region
  - Coordinate and host exhibits and events in the library that reflect, showcase and enhance the educational, cultural and artistic contributions and accomplishments of our campus and local communities
- Create increased opportunities for student learning and practice of environmental sustainability.
  - Support the study and practice of environmental sustainability through library collections and instruction
  - Provide information literacy instruction focused on scientific and policy approaches to environmental issues
- As an organization committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the Library will
- Attract, support, and recognize a diverse and high achieving community of students, faculty, and staff
  - Establish a library diversity committee and program
    - See Diversity Committee Charge
  - Integrate inclusive hiring practices in all library recruitments
- Strengthen our commitment to multilingual, multicultural, and gender-equitable learning
  - Practice “cultural humility” --which requires consistent self-reflection on power and dynamic cultural practices --in planning and assessing services for students and outreach to their families
  - Utilize inclusive teaching practices in information literacy instruction
- Reflect an ethos of inclusive excellence in all academic practices and programs and leverage the unique assets of our diversity to enrich learning
  - Support and create exhibits and events in the library that recognize the importance of diversity, multicultural experience
  - Develop library collections supporting inquiry into ethnic, multicultural, gender, and first-generation student experiences
  - Support an ethos of excellence in all academic practices through a focus on inclusive teaching strategies
- Develop a global engagement strategy
  - Provide intentional, explicit support for international students, immigrant students, and study abroad
- As an organization known for Innovation and Discovery, the Library will
- Provide increased opportunities for student, faculty, and community research collaboration
  - Develop a variety of library learning spaces to support our community’s diverse learning needs
  - Provide library space for individual and collaborative endeavors
    - Collaborate with university partners to develop a library makerspace
  - Nurture partnerships with other programs in the library that support learning and scholarship
  - Explore supporting student research with after-hours, virtual reference services
  - Establish awards to support and recognize outstanding student research and creative work
  - Continue to provide community access to databases and other information resources
  - Explore providing support for faculty research data curation
  - Provide infrastructure for open access publishing
- Increase research at the University, especially in the scholarship of teaching and learning
  - Ensure that patrons have access to appropriate information resources supporting their research
  - Provide easy access to Interlibrary loan and other services to off-campus users
  - Ensure that information is easily discoverable
  - Align library collection priorities with University priorities, and seek appropriate resources to sustain collection development and management
- Raise the profile of CSUMB faculty and signature academic and co-curricular programs
  - Enhance the visibility of academic programs and faculty members by promoting access to their accomplishments
    - Utilize Digital Commons as a showcase for CSUMB creative work and scholarship.
    - Promote and support faculty research through SelectedWorks
  - Build archives and special collections related to signature academic and co-curricular programs by partnering with community, staff, and faculty members
- Emphasize and support the library’s essential role as a collaborative center of discovery and creativity
  - Provide a welcoming, inspiring, safe, and accessible environment; foster a sense of belonging for all our patrons
  - Make the library the most intellectually stimulating place on campus
  - Ensure that library building hours meet student needs
  - Provide appropriate workspaces for students, faculty, and staff
    - Create adaptable multipurpose spaces to provide additional opportunities for collaborative discovery and creativity
  - Provide effective infrastructure to support discovery and creativity
  - Plan for library space reallocation as academic partners depart the library for the Student Success Center
- As an organization committed to Ethical and Sustainable Practice, the Library will
- Increase efficiency, effectiveness, ethical practice, and transparency in our operations
  - Provide excellent, equitable service to all library users
  - Provide leadership in assuring access to affordable learning materials, including open educational resources (OER)
  - Develop active support for open access scholarly communication
  - Maintain and share our collection with the community and worldwide
  - Emphasize ethical use of information in information literacy instruction
  - Collaborate with University Development to generate additional revenues to sustain library programs
  - Strive for transparency in library administrative processes
- Foster a culture of and process for continuous assessment and improvement of academic programs
  - Implement a regular schedule of assessment activities for the general library program
  - Establish consistent assessment of information literacy outcomes
  - Assess the effectiveness of library collections, services, spaces, and programs on a regular schedule
  - “Close the loop” by adjusting library programs and services in light of assessment information
- Provide leadership in the region for environmental sustainability
  - Strive to be an exemplar of sound sustainable practice
  - Establish a library working group to explore opportunities to improve sustainability
  - Support campus and community sustainability efforts by providing access and guidance to relevant information resources
  - Promote and sponsor Green/Sustainability-related events
  - Maintain LEED Silver building status/certification
  - Collaborate with the CSUMB Office of Sustainability
  - Provide a framework for identifying capstones that focus on sustainability issues
- Continue to develop needed coherent and consistent academic policies and processes
  - Eliminate library administrative barriers to student, staff, and faculty success
  - Make effective and sustainable use of library collections, spaces, personnel, and financial resources in support of student success.
  - Reassess the library’s published policies and revise them as needed

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