Mission, Vision, & Values

About

Mission

We foster learning, teaching, and research through expert personnel, diverse collections, and inclusive spaces and services. 

Vision

We aspire to be an essential partner for intellectual growth, individual success, and responsible global citizenship.

Values

Equity

We remove barriers to improve access and promote academic success.  

Belonging

We cultivate welcoming, respectful environments for all.  

Collaboration

We build strong partnerships to amplify impact.  

Innovation

We encourage exploration and experimentation.    

Empowerment

We support employee growth and ideas.  

Ethics

We adhere to and provide guidance for responsible practices.  

Strategic Plan, FY2027-FY2029

Goal 1: Deliver responsive support for evolving student needs

Objective 1. Continue to transform and refine learning goals and curricula

Objective 2. Develop programs and improve spaces to foster students’ sense of belonging

Goal 2. Extend reach and demonstrate impact of academic outputs from the campus community

Objective 1. Align services to assist with the University’s research lifecycle, scholarship, and activities

Objective 2. Provide and promote access to unique content created by the institution

Objective 3. Advance informed and responsible practices among authors and creators across the lifecycle of their work

Goal 3.  Ensure organizational efficiency and promote employee wellbeing

Objective 1. Foster a culture that grounds decisions in professional knowledge and best practices

Objective 2. Empower innovation and risk-taking

Objective 3. Improve employee wellbeing through equity and advancement pathways where policies permit and within available resources

Goal 4. Establish inclusive and coordinated outreach and communication that advances awareness, engagement, and collaboration across campus

Objective 1. Develop and implement a communication plan that supports service awareness and outreach

Objective 2. Enhance collaborations, partnerships, and engagement through strategic outreach

Goal 5. Improve collections, systems, and spaces by harnessing technology

Objective 1. Re-examine digital infrastructure and systems for sustainability

Objective 2. Ensure effective stewardship of donor contributions to the Suey Hey Stella Chin Michener Innovation Den

Objective 3. Promote effective resource discovery

Objective 4. Strengthen collection development policies through data analysis and engagement with campus and consortium partners

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Libraries Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement

We strive to continually educate ourselves on diversity, equity, and inclusion to better support scholars and students representing the full, diverse spectrum of humanity. Diverse and well-reasoned ideas, approaches, and experiences are essential parts of inclusion and equity. University Libraries promotes an environment free from constraint on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender identity and gender expression, age, religion, language, abilities and disabilities, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, geographic region, and more. We follow the lead of diverse communities and aim to mirror the ever-evolving language they use to define themselves.

Libraries Anti-racism Statement

UNC Libraries acknowledges that the University of Northern Colorado sits upon the traditional territories of the Ute, Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Lakota peoples. We also acknowledge and affirm that the United States was founded on white supremacy which has built systematic racism into laws, policies, and practices which impact people of color to this day.  We stand in solidarity with communities of color and strive to redress these wrongs.

We aspire to become a truly inclusive and equitable organization. We engage with the university community by sustaining diversity, creating inclusive spaces and experiences, removing barriers to learning, and calling out institutional bias and structural racism.

We are a place for everyone and we will not tolerate mistreatment of anyone.

Action Items

Change happens through the actions and behaviors of our individual faculty and staff. The responsibility for change rests on all of us.

We commit to:

  • Enhance our employee recruitment process to be more inclusive
  • Develop best practices to continue to create a more inclusive workplace
  • Leverage culturally responsive training to better understand systematic and historical oppression and how we can create a more just society
  • Offer programs and exhibits that are representative of cultures/nationalities that make up the UNC and surrounding communities
  • Work with local communities to expand inclusive archival work and assist in curating collections
  • Collect more books by and for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and other traditionally minoritized groups

References for Anti-racism Statement

1619 ; a podcast from the New York Times (N. Hannah-Jones Trans.).

Epperson, A. Research guides: DEI & antiracism resources: Home. Retrieved Jun 7, 2021, from https://libguides.unco.edu/DEI-and-Antiracism

Hannah-Jones, N. (2019, 18 August,). The 1619 project. New York Times Magazine, , 4-86.

Smith, C. (2021). How the word is passed: A reckoning with the history of slavery across America. New York: Little, Brown.

This statement was inspired by many university and library anti-racism/diversity statements, including:

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