Seton Hall University Libraries, Strategic Plan: 2012 to 2020

Mission, Vision, and Values Statements

Mission (why we exist)

The Seton Hall University Libraries support excellence in academic and individual work, enable inquiry, foster intellectual and ethical integrity and respect for diverse points of view through user-focused services and robust collections as the intellectual and cultural heart of the University.

Vision (what we want to be by 2020)

The Libraries are at the heart of Seton Hall’s intellectual ambitions and the first source for scholarship and information where students’ needs are the library's top priority, faculty find the resources essential for their teaching and research, and students graduate with the realization that the library is indispensable.

Core Values (what we stand for)

• Service: We provide user-centered, prompt, responsive, and friendly services, spaces, and robust collections for Seton Hall and our local and world communities; we value professional growth by study, anticipation, and response to the evolving needs of our communities with flexibility, innovation, and continual reassessment.

• Access: We provide unhindered and clear access to all forms of information while respecting individual privacy, autonomy, and free inquiry.

• Learning: We educate and assist our users to identify, evaluate, and utilize information and its tools in their coursework, research, careers, and daily lives.

• Community: We create community and a welcoming environment conducive to research, dialogue, and work by treating our colleagues and users with dignity, honesty, and good humor, with respect for social and cultural diversity and through our own cooperation and clear communications.

• Collaboration: We actively seek partnerships to improve service and increase access to information as we collaborate among library staff, within Seton Hall and within the broader library community.

• Preservation: We share with all libraries the responsibility of preserving the cultural and intellectual legacy of human endeavor and knowledge for current and future use, particularly those materials that speak to the University’s Catholic mission and tradition of service.