Strategic Priorities

Advance open science

Students in a laboratory
Open science, a coordinated set of principles advocating transparency of method, accessibility of publications and data, and reproducibility of results, is significantly changing how scholarly research is conducted.  This shift toward open practices is being driven by scientific disciplines and accelerated by funders, publishers, and scholarly bodies.  For research libraries, open science presents the opportunity—and challenge—to support new approaches to information publication and discovery, to promulgate and uphold new norms, and to play critical new roles in the research ecosystem.  The Library is uniquely positioned to contribute to openness by making data literacy concepts and foundational data science methods accessible to diverse communities and to disciplines that are newly embracing computational approaches.

Key goals
  • Expand services that support the principles and practices of open science, open access publishing, and FAIR data
  • Support researchers in navigating changes in the information landscape, and as creators of new types of research outputs
  • Expand instruction on methods and skills of data science and digital scholarship
  • Work with campus stakeholders to develop a coordinated, campus-wide approach to data and digital scholarship services
  • Support and invest in open and sustainable publishing models 


Foster campus collaboration

The UCSB Library sits, by design, at the figurative and literal crossroads of campus.  From this vantage point it is in a unique position to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and to enable conversation amongst parties that might not otherwise have occasion to connect.  Augmenting this position with its own unique programming and events, the Library aspires to serve as the hub of campus academic life.  Fully realizing this role requires that the Library strengthen its connections with departments, academic programs, and student groups to develop more coordinated approaches to its services and outreach.

Key goals
  • Expand support for learning groups and communities of interest to enhance out-of-classroom educational opportunities
  • Support integration of participatory and community-based models of collection building into Library archival practices
  • Coordinate communication and outreach strategies to improve visibility of Library services, collections, and expertise in alignment with departmental and user needs
  • Showcase campus research and creative works 


Strengthen stewardship and sustainability

Stewardship has always been central to the mission of research libraries, but the meaning and methods of stewardship are changing dramatically as libraries take responsibility for new types of content and provide new types of tools and services.  Continuous investment in technological infrastructure is required to support evolving community norms in scholarly publication and information discovery and access.  The end goal of this investment is to enable broader, deeper, and novel uses of Library resources and to empower new communities of Library users.

Sustainable stewardship depends on human infrastructure.  The Library is ultimately the product of its employees, but as a memory institution it outlives any individual.  As contributors to the Library’s long-lived mission, employees are most engaged when they feel their expertise is acknowledged and cultivated and their careers, and lives, are enriched by the experience of working in the Library.

Key goals
  • Develop infrastructure to support digital collection building, discovery, and preservation
  • Enhance online and computational access to digital and physical collections
  • Develop new approaches to collection development to expand breadth of research resources and more closely align with disciplinary needs
  • Improve employee recruitment, recognition, and opportunities for career growth 


Support student academic success

UCSB students are privileged to have full access to one of the country’s leading research libraries.  The UCSB Library strives to connect with students where and how they work, enabling them to excel in achieving their academic goals.  Library employees serve as knowledgeable guides to help students make the most of their library.  The Library enables students to experience the richness of university life beyond the classroom and become active participants in their own learning journey, cultivating habits of mind that will serve them well for the remainder of their lives.  Students come to the Library to be serious, to learn and explore, to develop as scholars, and to build community.

Key goals
  • Foster opportunities for experiential learning, mentorship, and leadership development
  • Develop creator and hybrid spaces and services to make new technologies available for student use
  • Integrate Library collections and services into UCSB’s educational technology ecosystem to facilitate seamless learning experiences
  • Employ inclusive instructional design practices to equip diverse learner populations for success in their coursework and lifelong learning
  • Increase access to affordable and open educational resources