Libraries employees work toward these major initiatives, task forces and special projects. 

Barriers to Discovery: Developed a list of barriers to access that fit the following four categories: physical, psychological, digital and workflow. Findings prioritized according to greatest impact and lowest levels of effort/resources. Decision-makers continue to refer to these findings to inform physical and digital projects. 

Contract Negotiations Strategy: Created a roadmap and plan for negotiations that identifies CSU values and priorities for contracts. Used to complete negotiations with Elsevier through the Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries, as well as Transformative Read and Publish agreements with Cambridge University Press and Wiley. Negotiations strategy plan used by Collection Strategies unit. 

Collective Collections: Reviewed existing agreements for shared print collections and recommitted to partnerships. Benchmarked and identified new opportunities. Joined HathiTrust. Established vision for collections, which includes: meeting the needs of our community now and in the future, access to unique materials held at CSU and elsewhere through cooperative agreements, and user access to information resources needed for their research and interests in a timely manner. 

Related units – Collections Strategies, Interlibrary Loan, and Acquisitions & Metadata Services – refer to collective collections agreements to make decisions and inform projects.  

Shifting Collections Project: Developed plan to prioritize building areas with sunlight for people and most used collection items in primary buildings. Incorporated recommendations from Collective Collections and Weeding Storage Facility task forces. Implementation underway. 

Promoting Services to Students: Expanded capacity in marketing and communications through establishment of new Communications unit. Integrated technology promotion in high-traffic group study rooms. Re-envisioned and edited courtesy notices to include directions for renewals and returns. Updated printing instructions on our website based on device/OS to reduce barriers to printing services.   

Design Outreach With and For Marginalized-identifying Students: Invited campus representatives to an extended conversation about how the Libraries’ services can support the success of marginalized-identifying students. Create a list of recommendations related to library tours, space, student affairs, communication, and support for students beyond their first year. Conducted survey of more than 600 students about their experience in library spaces and identified areas of improvement for students with disabilities, non-binary/gender non-conforming students, and students of color. Improvements to library tours, furniture, programming and space are in progress. 

Libraries employees work toward these major initiatives, task forces and special projects. 

Faculty and Stakeholder Engagement for Open Access: Developed an outreach plan with messaging recommendations and best practices for promoting open access to faculty and other stake holders. Plan used by Research Support & Open Scholarship unit to inform open scholarship initiatives. CSU is a key participant in HELIOS activities in coordination with Offices of the Provost and Vice President for Research. 

Expanding Research Data Management Services: Collaborated with CSU Division of IT on Research Computing and Cyberinfrastructure webpage. Increased accommodation for publishing workflows for larger datasets through Dryad membership. Hosted popular research data workshops for R/RStudio each semester, Git/GitHub with RStudio every semester, and Python. Expanding capacity through new positions: geospatial data specialist, graduate research assistant, and STEM data specialist. Working toward data classifications and storage guide for protected data in cooperation with CSU’s Division of IT, Office of the Vice President for Research, and Office of General Counsel. Relevant units at the Libraries – Library Technology Services and Research Support & Open Scholarship – continue to move this work forward. 

Integrate Geospatial Centroid (Research Center) into Libraries’ Organization and Values: Established familiarity with environmental and social justice-relevant geospatial data sources. Provided training to researchers in open-source geospatial technologies. Used an environmental and social justice lens when considering potential new projects. Awarded Equity and Environmental Justice Grant from NASA to investigate environmental risks of prisons in the U.S. through geospatial data analysis. 

Libraries employees work toward these major initiatives, task forces and special projects. 

Goals Development for Retention and Job Satisfaction: Provided SMART goal training for all staff. Established new expectations for employees and supervisors to discuss goals twice per year. Since 2021, all employees included goals in their annual reviews. 

Demonstrate Commitment to Principles of Community in Libraries’ Spaces and Work: Adopted CSU’s Principles of Community as the CSU Libraries’ values and examples of implementation in action in library work. Established Principles of Community Award, with first annual award given in 2022. Incorporated displays of Principles in library spaces.  

Flexible and Remote Work Guidelines: Developed and implemented recommendations for incorporating flexible and remote work. Provided guidance to supervisors and employees for the creation of flexible work plans via the University’s form for hybrid work arrangements.  

Onboarding Processes: Created onboarding processes for all professional employee classifications that integrate with University and human resources best practices. Continuing to improve processes. 

Develop as a Culturally Relevant Academic Library: Ten recommendations presented to library units and discussions facilitated around how culturally relevant work is integrated into their units. Examples of culturally relevant work identified:  

• Adopted and recommended CSU’s Office of Inclusive Excellence certificate as part of professional development goal setting 
• Piloted inclusive pedagogy training from CSU’s The Institute of Learning and Teaching and recommended for all library instructors. 
• Periodically provide Libraries-specific Safe Zone training through CSU’s Pride Resource Center and demonstrate allyship practices in library-wide meetings and settings.  
• Using the strategic plan and iterative planning process to demonstrate how to learn, adapt and change from failures and successes. 
• Responsibilities for diversity, equity and inclusion incorporated into all Library Administration positions to ensure DEI work is shared and not isolated. 
• Revised travel and flexible work guidelines to be more inclusive and equitable. 
• Reparative metadata efforts underway in special collections and University Archive. 
• Participating in ADVANCE grant and recommendation via University to improve gender equity in STEM academic professions. 
• Libraries employees are active contributors to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at the University level, including: Commission on Diversity and Inclusion, Inclusive Physical and Virtual Campus Committee, Multicultural Staff and Faculty Council, Womxn of Color Network, and other project- or committee-based work.

Libraries employees work toward these major initiatives, task forces and special projects.

Enhance Support of Information Literacy in All-University Core Curriculum Courses: Partnered with Department of History to improve student outcomes in classes with high drop, withdraw and fail rates. Received very positive assessment from students post-instruction. 

Inclusive Pedagogy: Created a plan and recommendations to integrate inclusive pedagogy into library instruction practices. Encouraged library instructors to pursue certification through CSU’s The Institute for Learning and Teaching and piloted through Student Success unit members.