Development plan 2018–2024
Introduction
This development plan will guide the library in our ambition to act as professional support to the education, research and collaboration at KTH over the next five years. The plan has taken shape both through examining KTH strategic documents and through workshops with the library staff.
The library’s organization is essentially based on the Libraries Act, which states that libraries “shall promote the development of a democratic society by contributing to the transfer of knowledge and the free formation of opinions”. Promoting these values is of utmost importance in the world today, where much emphasis must be placed on being able to correctly evaluate different sources. KTH should lead when it comes to education, research and collaboration, and thus needs organizational support functions that lead.
This development plan describes how the library can contribute to KTH becoming a “leading technical and international university creating knowledge and competence for a sustainable future”. The plan outlines how the library can be an arena for collaboration, promote open access publishing, assist in disseminating KTH’s research findings, support the academic and digital skills of students and doctoral students, and provide the foundation on which strategic decisions can be made.
KTH has an amazing library with committed and skilful staff, all of whom are committed to further contributing to creating a leading library for a leading KTH.
Stockholm, May 2018
Maria Haglund, Head librarian
External environment factors
A KTH for a more digitalized world
Digitalization has always had an impact on libraries, as they have a tradition of using new technology to render library services more effective. Scientific information today is primarily digital, which has changed the working methods for education and research now that scientific information is available on phones, tablets and computers.
Today, digitalization makes new working methods possible, such as rendering administrative flows more efficient, analysing and visualizing research findings, and further developing both teaching methods and laboratory infrastructure. The library needs to cooperate with the other support functions at KTH to ensure that research and education receive all the support made possible by digitalization.
A KTH in a global world
KTH’s organization as a whole must be characterized by international integration, and the library should contribute to this by being an active collaborative partner and by working internationally. The library is an important meeting place for intercultural exchange, and consequently also for many international students. The library should actively work towards developing strategic collaborations with both European and non-European partners, and also partake in international collaborations for global development.
A KTH for a more sustainable world and an equal-opportunity KTH
A large part of all research at KTH can be linked to one or more of the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals, and they should be well-known within the library organization. Sustainable development and equal opportunities are important factors both in the library’s day-to-day operational activities and in the development work. The library staff favours alternative means of transport, such as train travel instead of air travel, and we constantly strive to develop the library from a sustainable development and equal opportunities perspective.
Open access to research findings
In the research proposition 2016, the government established that all publications and research findings shall be openly available to everyone within ten years. Open access to research findings contributes to the development of the society as a whole by being accessible to everyone. The library should play an active part in the switchover to an open access environment, and also strive to increase the rating of open access research findings.
The library as an arena
To contribute to an open KTH and to help make research and education at KTH visible, the library should be a hub when it comes to the exchange of information and the dissemination of knowledge between researchers, students and administrative staff, beyond the organizational boundaries at KTH.
The library premises should develop in accord with the rest of the laboratory infrastructure at campus KTH, focusing on collaboration, cocreation, technology and innovation. The library should also contribute to the development of KTH’s laboratory infrastructure, for instance Makerspaces.
Access to scientific information and dissemination of KTH research findings
Accessing scientific information has been made easier though the technological development. Today, researchers and students have instant access to easy-to-use search services with a large supply of digital material. More information than ever is available, and this information is distributed by many different sources, with a varying degree of reliability. As a consequence, the importance of being able to critically assess sources has never been greater.
KTH research should be made visible to both the international scientific community and society at large. The library offers advice and support in publication matters, and also aims to make as much as possible available to as many as possible. The library strives to make openness the foundation in a future publication system, and collaborates on both
national and international level to make this change happen.
The library as a part of KTH education and research – an integrated library
To be able to contribute to KTH research and education in the best way possible, the library must be an integrated partner in the research and educational processes. The library needs to have a close collaboration with both the education and the research projects at KTH, and to be available to KTH researchers and students who currently reside outside Sweden.
The library should introduce students to the academic context and help both students and doctoral students develop their academic and digital skills to enable them to succeed in their academic achievements and prepare them for a professional life, which also contributes to lifelong learning.
Interdisciplinary and global collaborations are often research prerequisites that the library has to take into account when developing new services. Through a close collaboration with the research community, the library can contribute to and help streamline various parts of the research process, such as strategic publication support, data management, visualization, follow-up and evaluation of research findings.
Analyses for strategic decisions
The management, the schools and the research teams at KTH all need support to be able to make strategic choices and informed decisions, and the library therefore has to offer help with different kinds of analyses, using for example bibliometric methods. These analyses can then be used for evaluation and follow-up, and to better understand research processes.
To ensure that the library is at the forefront in this area, it is important to continuously refine and develop our methods, based on the most recent research.
Preconditions: a strong and adjustable organization
The library should have a work environment where dedicated staff can develop and grow. Continuous skills development and focus on leadership and employeeship will increase the library’s ability to meet new challenges. Evaluation, continuous improvements and user-oriented methods characterize the work we do, which leads to the development of new services.
To succeed in our mission, the library must collaborate with many different actors both within and outside KTH, and also form strong relationships with students, researchers and administrative staff in order to demonstrate how the work we do in the library can create added value.