The University Library’s Strategic Process: Competing Through Plans, Positions, and Resources

Abstract

Abstract The traditional notion of university library strategy has been that of a pattern of goal-oriented activities that implement a strategic plan. Through conceptual analysis, this paper integrates strategic planning with two other perspectives—strategy based upon competitive position and upon library resources—to propose that a university library can best serve its academic community through a “strategic process” when supporting research and teaching. Drawing extensively upon applicable library science and strategic management literature, the paper presents the potential contribution of each perspective and of the entire strategic process using relevant examples. Successfully applying the strategic process enables university library managers to move forward with optimism in difficult competitive and financial situations. The process enables the university library to gain sustainable competitive advantage over its competitors by providing faculty and students with intellectual value in support of their discovery and education. As it operates, the strategic process empowers the university library to fulfill its traditional mission—providing persistent, generalized access to information—but to do so in transformed ways. The process also enhances library managers’ ability to communicate such successes to university decision-makers, illuminating the library’s effective use of scarce financial resources.