by PRP Group, on 04/22/2024
In the past, universities often viewed libraries as repositories for print materials, as well as cost centers with an unclear ROI. As students return to campus for the new year, today’s libraries are expanding and updating to meet the needs of students and instructors. Not only are libraries repurposing the physical space formerly used for some print materials, but they’re also rebranding themselves as centers for digital resources and for teaching, learning, and research support. Here are four ways that today’s evolving libraries can show their academic and financial value to the university at large.Align library investments with the strategic imperatives of the university.
To maintain the funding they need, libraries should align their spending with the goals of the university. For example, I collaborated with Florida International University (FIU) on a grant proposal aligned with their Next Horizon 2025 Strategic Plan. One of the key goals was aligning resources, and our grant targeted areas of research and focus, built alignments to curriculum and courses and faculty, and charted the ROI value driven from strong levels of cross-curricularity of the content.