What is helpful (and not) in the strategic planning process? An exploratory survey and literature review

Abstract

Strategic planning is a necessary undertaking for many university libraries. Through a literature review and an open-ended, exploratory survey to university libraries in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and United Kingdom, the researcher was able to get a sense of nuance and importance of some of the parts of the process. Themes include working on the process, library staff engagement, the timeframe of the plan and process, prioritization and focus, environmental scanning, and university plan alignment. This article contains practical, applicable information about the planning process. Understanding what worked (and what did not) can help others who are tasked with taking on lead roles in the strategic planning process, and can enable libraries to create a strategic plan that works best for their staff, users, and institution.