PANITZA LIBRARY
Strategic Plan 2015 - 2020
Mission Statement
Panitza Library supports AUBG mission by facilitating the creation, application, and dissemination of
knowledge through the effective and efficient provision of information resources, services, and
instruction in a supportive, research environment.
Vision Statement
The Library will be recognized as an accessible and exceptional center of research, learning, and
creativity focused on student success. We will excel in:
 collecting, preserving, and providing access to the authoritative scholarly and educational
resources,
 offering high quality, innovative services,
 and creating a welcoming and comfortable physical environment.
Core Values
At Panitza Library, we share these values as we work together to serve students and faculty and
accomplish our mission:
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Equal access – providing information resources to the diverse AUBG community without
censorship and discrimination.
User-centered services – making the needs of AUBG community the center of all services,
collections and planning.
Flexibility – having the ability to recognize and meet the changing needs of library users within
an ever-changing environment.
Creativity – finding innovative solutions to challenges facing the University and the Library.
Intellectual curiosity – openness to new ideas and practices; keeping up with cutting-edge
developments in libraries and higher education.
Commitment to Learning – promoting learning, reading, and information literacy among
students, thus assisting them to expand their horizons, broaden their knowledge, and become
life-long learners.
Tolerance, politeness and respect for human dignity
Teamwork, collegiality and collaboration
Goals and Objectives
Goal I. User Experience
Create an exceptional user experience that contributes to student success by:
1.1. Enabling users to search, browse, and discover information in ways that
are efficient and convenient for them.
1.2. Providing physical and virtual spaces designed to facilitate learning,
research, and sustained intellectual engagement.
1.3. Engaging the library with the University community.
1.4. Designing and implementing instructional program aligned with the
curriculum.
1.5. Utilizing library assessment data to improve services and resources.
Goal II. Collections & Access
Provide access to outstanding and authoritative collections and information services
that enhance teaching, research and scholarship by:
2.1. Offering consultation, instruction, and reference services designed to
enhance the use of scholarly resources.
2.2. Providing access to strong collections of digital and print content.
2.3. Aligning collection management with a changing curriculum.
2.4. Creating library’s liaison program to improve partnership with faculty
members.
2.5. Tailoring services for under-served groups including graduate students,
alumni and students with disabilities.
Goal III. Teaching and Learning
Create teaching and learning programs and resources for the acquisition of
information literacy skills that go beyond academia by:
3.1. Improving students’ ability to discover, access, analyze, and evaluate
information.
3.2. Aligning with and enabling the success of the General Education
program and student learning outcomes.
3.3. Strengthening partnership with teaching faculty to integrate library
instruction and related critical thinking competencies into the
curriculum and the emerging online learning platforms.
3.4. Educating the AUBG community about copyright law and intellectual
property rights.
3.5. Continually improving IL programs and resources through regular
assessment.
Goal IV. Outreach and Marketing
Market the library’s services and resources to both University and external partners
by:
4.1. Developing a library marketing & outreach plan to promote the library’s
collections, facilities, and services.
4.2. Enhancing the visibility of research and scholarship created at the
American University in Bulgaria.
4.3. Gaining a better understanding of our students’ needs and informationseeking behaviors using student focus groups, surveys, and
ethnographic techniques.
4.4. Continuing the library’s participation in campus-wide community
engagement initiatives including outreach to schools, hosting public
lectures, exhibitions, book presentations, readings and other
educational events.
4.5. Fostering mutually beneficial partnerships with national and
international library consortia.
4.6. Seeking ways to increase external funding, pursuing grants and
participating in joint projects.
Goal V. Digital Infrastructure
Increase the library’s capacity to create, acquire and manage digital scholarly content
by:
5.1. Creating and refining services to support the use of digital tools and
digital content.
5.2. Collecting the intellectual output of American University in Bulgaria’s
faculty, students and staff and preserving it in a digital repository.
5.3. Identifying unique print materials, archival materials, special collections
and images for digitization and preservation.
5.4. Exploring new and innovative technologies that will improve access to
information, increase efficiency and expand learning opportunities.
Goal VI. Organizational Culture
Expand the skills, knowledge and engagement of all staff in order to provide excellent
services and individual job satisfaction by:
6.1. Offering ongoing training and professional development opportunities.
6.2. Providing staff with a professional development program in teaching
and learning methods to achieve effectiveness of the IL programs and
resources
6.3. Engaging in clear organizational communication.
6.4. Providing opportunities for involvement in assessment and planning
activities.
6.5. Participating on university and consortium committees and in local,
national and international conferences and workshops.
Goal VII. Learning spaces
Promote a dynamic and supportive learning environment that:
7.1. Supports collaborative learning and individual study.
7.2. Leverages the library’s role as the University’s primary cultural and
social center.
7.3. Align space planning with user needs through regular assessment of
library space.