Vision

• Data Library: Provide Northwestern with an integrated research data management infrastructure and services in research enterprise for acquiring, managing, storing, and sharing datasets and associated computational AI/ML models, emphasizing ethical AI/ML practices in partnership with NIT and the Office of Research.
• Digital Scholarship: Leverage the power of generative AI as well as other computational tools to catalyst the interdisciplinary research, and to revolutionize the way libraries provide access to knowledge.
• Digital and Data Literacy: Expand instruction and curricular support for computational and data-intensive research and learning across all disciplines by articulating digital and data literacy learning goals, sponsoring relevant training for librarians and technical specialists, and implementing instructional resources.

• BIG Collection: Contribute significantly and actively to the realization of the Big Ten Academic Alliance BIG Collection, a shared collection of more than 145 million volumes held across all Big Ten institutions.
• Leverage Unique Collections: Build meaningful integration between Northwestern’s unique collections and academic programs by expanding instruction and research collaboration with our special and distinctive collections, including student-curated exhibits and digitization of collection materials, based on curricular and research needs.
• Collection Strategy: Develop a forward-thinking collections strategy that meets Northwestern’s evolving research and teaching needs and builds unique and distinctive collections with enduring value to the broader research community.

• Facilities: Improve the library experience for the Northwestern community by optimizing campus library facilities to meet emerging academic needs.
• Workforce Development: Maximize the impact of librarians and information professionals in re-envisioned library services and roles, and upskilling library workforce that align with University priorities and meet emerging academic needs.

Academic Year 2024-2025

Transform Digital Research

• Data Library / Research Data Management: Develop a comprehensive Data Library platform framework that includes technical infrastructure, operational partnership, and policy compliance. Develop a research data management service model, including repositories for research data and curated datasets in compliance with federal data-sharing policies, that is scalable using technologies like machine learning and generative AI that both highlights the Libraries' expertise and reduces redundancies in services offered across campus.
• Grants Implementation: A Leadership Category IMLS grant to build an installable, open-source, semantic discovery product leveraging the power of generative artificial intelligence that allows users to "chat with" library and archival collections, and a planning grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to study the history of climate change in text collections using machine learning.
• Data and Digital Literacy Education Package: Promote the data and information literacy resources in Sage Research Methods and Sage Campus through faculty and campus outreach and partnerships, specifically with the Office of Undergraduate Research.

Advance Access to Resources

• BTAA BIG Collection: Accelerate our holding reclamation project with OCLC to ensure the most up-to-date representation of Northwestern's collections for discoverability as well as loanability within the Big Ten’s BIG Collection.
• Student Research Engagement with Primary Resources: Create an annual award for outstanding use of McCormick Library collections in undergraduate research.
• Collection Strategy: Develop a collection strategy for the Libraries that focuses collection efforts to ensure alignment with the university’s research and teaching and build unique and distinctive collections with enduring value to the broader research community; provides collections that address current and future needs, including tangible collections, digital resources, and data; advances open scholarship through partnerships and investments, including facilitating OA publishing. Investigate how to expand access to our collections by leveraging emerging technologies.

Enhance Library Experiences

• Facilities: Complete the renovation of Deering Library with a focus on improving intellectual and community engagement spaces for campus. Complete the Collections Treatment room.
• Workforce Development: Align workforce with our strategic vision, emphasizing engagement, professional development, upskilling, and culture enhancement. Complete a comprehensive leadership development program for mid-management team in partnership with the SESP Executive Leadership Education for Organization Change program.

Academic Year 2023-2024

• Replaced the existing UBorrow platform with Resource Sharing for Groups, a new platform the BTAA is developing with OCLC and upgraded Northwestern's ILLiad instance to version 9.2.
• Aligned interlibrary lending policies regarding e-resources, special collections and digitization services with the BTAA Resource Access Policy to enhance collection access and use across the BTAA.
• Expanded instruction and curricular support for digital and data literacy by:
  • Conducting a needs assessment focused on digital and data literacy and computational/data-intensive research methods,
  • Articulating digital and data literacy learning goals for students,
  • Purchasing Sage Campus and select modules in Sage Research Methods
  • Developing a Data Literacy retreat for all liaisons with an outside expert
  • Sending three librarians to the ICPSR Summer Social Data Science Academy