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First and foremost, Randall Library exists to support the University of North Carolina Wilmington mission. 

University of North Carolina Mission

The University of North Carolina at Wilmington is a public comprehensive university dedicated to learning through the integration of teaching and mentoring with research and service. The college of arts and sciences, the professional schools, and the graduate school seek to stimulate intellectual curiosity, imagination, critical thinking, and thoughtful expression in a broad range of disciplines and professional fields. The university is committed to providing the highest quality undergraduate and graduate academic experience in an extensive array of programs at the baccalaureate and master’s levels, as well as a doctoral program in marine biology.  Our goal is excellence in teaching, scholarship, research, artistic achievement, and service.UNCW encourages public access to its educational programs and is committed to diversity, international perspectives, and regional service. Our campus community strives to create a safe, supportive, and technologically progressive environment in which students, faculty, and staff work together to develop their interests, skills, and talents to the fullest extent. UNCW seeks to celebrate and study the heritage and environment of the coastal region, and to enrich its quality of life, economy, and education.

Statement adopted by the UNC Board of Trustees on April 29, 2005,
and pending Board of Governors' approval

Last Updated: May 16, 2005
http://www.uncw.edu/planning/mission.htm

The University has also identified seven Strategic Goals for 2005-2010.  They are: 

Goal I:	Create the most powerful learning experience possible for our students.
Goal II:	Recruit, retain and develop quality faculty, administration and staff in appropriate numbers.
Goal III:	Embrace and enhance diversity throughout the university's constituencies, culture, curriculum and outreach activities.
Goal IV:	Create an educational environment that prepares our students to be global citizens.
Goal V:	Strengthen the university's regional engagement and outreach activities.
Goal VI:	Enhance the quality of UNCW's environment and provide a campus that is attractive, functional, and above all, safe.
Goal VII:	Ensure adequate resources to achieve university goals by increasing public financial support and private giving.

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With the university mission and strategic goals as a framework, the William Madison Randall Library has committed to the following mission and goals.

RANDALL LIBRARY MISSION

William Madison Randall Library supports the mission of the University of North Carolina Wilmington through the provision of information resources, services and programs relevant to the needs of its students, faculty and staff.  It also serves as a rich cultural resource for the surrounding community and the region.   To accomplish this mission, the library provides (1) diverse collections of informational resources in multiple formats; (2) efficient access to informational resources; (3) assistance and instruction in identifying, evaluating and interpreting information;  (4) a safe and comfortable facility which stimulates intellectual curiosity and reflective thinking; and (5) programs that connect scholars and interested individuals with information and expertise to inspire lifelong learning.        

RANDALL LIBRARY GOALS 

• To identify, select, acquire and preserve informational resources relevant to current and anticipated curriculum, scholarly practice, research, creative and leisure activities. ("Informational resources" is broadly defined to include text, images, sound, artifacts and other records of human knowledge.)To establish, organize, and maintain effective bibliographic control of resources accessed through the library. To provide excellence in teaching users effective information seeking strategies, critical evaluation and use of informational resources; to guide users in the selection of resources to meet individual needs and to provide information upon request.To make optimum use of technology to provide access to remote information and improve internal processesTo develop and promote customized and individualized access to information for primary user groups.To attract and retain employees dedicated to achieving the Library's service goals, and to provide opportunities for staff development and participation in planning and implementation of services. To provide a safe, useful and inviting facility that serves as a central gathering place for the diverse teaching, scholarship and artistic activities of the university community.  To develop partnerships, consortia and cooperative methods with other libraries and organizations to acquire and share resources.To ensure that the Library upholds the profession’s fundamentals of intellectual freedom and privacy for all users. In accordance with the Library Bill of Rights, the library will "provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues."  In accordance with the Code of Ethics of the American Library Association, the library will "protect each library user's right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired or transmitted." 
• To encourage innovative and creative approaches for enhancing services and to provide effective administration and continuous assessment of all services. 

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BLENDED GOALS

To provide closer connections between Randall Library's goals and the university's strategic goals, the following "blended goals" list  indicates which of the library's goals the library ties to each UNCW strategic goal.  Library goals frequently address multiple university goals.  Using this blended approach requires listing some of the library goals multiple times to reflect their relevance in each area of the university's purposes.  UNCW Goal I: Create the most powerful learning experience possible for our students.

Relevant Library Goals:

• To identify, select, acquire and preserve informational resources, including print, electronic, visual, and sound formats, relevant to current and anticipated curriculum, scholarly practice, research, and creative activities. 

  To provide excellence in teaching users effective information seeking strategies, critical evaluation and use of informational resources in the course of their academic pursuits, to guide users in the selection of resources to meet individual needs and to provide information upon request.

  To make optimum use of current technology to (1)  provide access to remote information and (2) make internal processes effective and efficient.

  To establish, organize, and maintain effective bibliographic control of resources accessed through the library. 

  To develop and promote efficient customized and individualized access to information through special services and resources for primary user groups.

  To develop partnerships, consortia, and other cooperative methods with other libraries and organizations to advance scholarship and the purchase and sharing of resources.

  To insure that the Library upholds the profession’s fundamentals of intellectual freedom and privacy for all users.  “Materials representing a variety of perspectives on subjects that may be considered controversial” will be selected, preserved and made available to support the “interests of learning and research.”  The “confidentiality of library borrowers’ records” is “inviolable.”

  To encourage innovative and creative approaches for enhancing services and to provide effective administration and continuous assessment of all services. 

• To develop and promote efficient customized and individualized access to information through special services and resources for primary user groups.

UNCW Goal II:  Recruit, retain and develop quality faculty, administration and staff in appropriate numbers.

Relevant Library Goals:

• To attract and retain staff members who are dedicated to achieving the Library's service goals, and to provide opportunities for staff development and participation in planning and implementation of services.

  To identify, select, acquire and preserve informational resources, including print, electronic, visual, and sound formats, relevant to current and anticipated curriculum, scholarly practice, research, and creative activities. 

  To develop partnerships, consortia, and other cooperative methods with other libraries and organizations to advance scholarship and the purchase and sharing of resources.

• To develop and promote efficient customized and individualized access to information through special services and resources for primary user groups.

   

UNCW Goal III: Embrace and enhance diversity throughout the University’s constituencies, culture, curriculum and outreach activities.

Relevant Library Goals:

• To identify, select, acquire and preserve informational resources, including print, electronic, visual, and sound formats, relevant to current and anticipated curriculum, scholarly practice, research, and creative activities. 

  To make optimum use of current technology to (1)  provide access to remote information and (2) make internal processes effective and efficient.

  To insure that the Library upholds the profession’s fundamentals of intellectual freedom and privacy for all users.  “Materials representing a variety of perspectives on subjects that may be considered controversial” will be selected, preserved and made available to support the “interests of learning and research.”  The “confidentiality of library borrowers’ records” is “inviolable.”

•  To encourage innovative and creative approaches for enhancing services and to provide effective administration and continuous assessment of all services. 

UNCW Goal IV: Create an educational environment that prepares our students to be global citizens.

Relevant Library Goals:

• To identify, select, acquire and preserve informational resources, including print, electronic, visual, and sound formats, relevant to current and anticipated curriculum, scholarly practice, research, and creative activities. 

  To provide excellence in teaching users effective information seeking strategies, critical evaluation and use of informational resources in the course of their academic pursuits, to guide users in the selection of resources to meet individual needs and to provide information upon request.

  To make optimum use of current technology to (1)  provide access to remote information and (2) make internal processes effective and efficient.

  To provide a safe, useful and inviting facility that serves as a central gathering place for the diverse teaching, scholarship and artistic activities of the university community. 

• To develop partnerships, consortia, and other cooperative methods with other libraries and organizations to advance scholarship and the purchase and sharing of resources.

UNCW Goal V: Strengthen the University’s regional engagement and outreach activities.

Relevant Library Goals:

• To identify, select, acquire and preserve informational resources, including print, electronic, visual, and sound formats, relevant to current and anticipated curriculum, scholarly practice, research, and creative activities. 

  To provide excellence in teaching users effective information seeking strategies, critical evaluation and use of informational resources in the course of their academic pursuits, to guide users in the selection of resources to meet individual needs and to provide information upon request.

  To make optimum use of current technology to (1)  provide access to remote information and (2) make internal processes effective and efficient.

  To establish, organize, and maintain effective bibliographic control of resources accessed through the library. 

  To develop partnerships, consortia, and other cooperative methods with other libraries and organizations to advance scholarship and the purchase and sharing of resources.

  To insure that the Library upholds the profession’s fundamentals of intellectual freedom and privacy for all users.  “Materials representing a variety of perspectives on subjects that may be considered controversial” will be selected, preserved and made available to support the “interests of learning and research.”  The “confidentiality of library borrowers’ records” is “inviolable.”

• To encourage innovative and creative approaches for enhancing services and to provide effective administration and continuous assessment of all services. 

   

UNCW Goal VI: Enhance the quality of UNCW’s environment and provide a campus that is attractive, functional and above all safe.

Relevant Library Goals:

• To establish, organize, and maintain effective bibliographic control of resources accessed through the library. 

  To make optimum use of current technology to (1)  provide access to remote information and (2) make internal processes effective and efficient.

• To provide a safe, useful and inviting facility that serves as a central gathering place for the diverse teaching, scholarship and artistic activities of the university community. 

   

UNCW Goal VII: Ensure adequate resources to achieve university goals by increasing public financial support and private giving.

Relevant Library Goals:

• To identify, select, acquire and preserve informational resources, including print, electronic, visual, and sound formats, relevant to current and anticipated curriculum, scholarly practice, research, and creative activities. 

  To develop partnerships, consortia, and other cooperative methods with other libraries and organizations to advance scholarship and the purchase and sharing of resources

• To encourage innovative and creative approaches for enhancing services and to provide effective administration and continuous assessment of all services. 

Last Update: December 20, 2005