Envisioning the Future: OCLS Embarks on Strategic Planning Project By Maria Ripley

Over the summer, OCLS launched a strategic planning initiative designed to help the organization develop services and plans for 2015-2020. The primary goals of OCLS’s strategic planning project are:

• To establish a strong vision, mission, and set of operating principles for OCLS. • To identify the developments, initiatives and factors that impact library operations, services and planning, and that will have an impact on the need for, definition of, and development of OCLS services. • To establish a framework that will allow OCLS to make sound, informed decisions when evaluating current service offerings, developing future service offerings, allocating resources and positioning it with funders and other stakeholders. • To ensure that OCLS’ service offerings remain relevant to the college libraries, and that it continues to serve as an effective partner in, and facilitator of, college library collaboration.

Following a successful RFP process that was launched in June, OCLS engaged Overlap Associates , a Kitchener-based consulting company, to help us achieve our goals. As well, after consultation with HLLR, we brought together a Steering Committee that will provide direction and oversight to the project and a Project Team that will lead and manage the project, develop the plan and confirm that deliverables are complete, and our goals are met. Finally, the OCLS Board of Directors will approve the Strategic Plan, which we estimate will happen sometime in the spring of 2015.

July and August were busy as we worked to set up the teams and launch ‘kick-off’ meetings with each of the Steering Committee, Project Team and OCLS Staff.

Over the next three to four months, with the facilitation of Overlap Associates, OCLS, in partnership with HLLR will be hosting a series of in-person and virtual ‘Stakeholder Labs’, preparing an online survey, and conducting interviews to gather information on future needs, challenges and opportunities for OCLS and the college libraries. This is a very exciting time. As we work together with college library management and staff to envision our future we are grateful for any and all feedback you can give us.

Fall 2014 OCLS News

OCLS expresses many thanks to the members of the Steering Committee and Project Team for their time, interest and dedication to this project.

STEERING COMMITTEE:

• Jason Bird, Manager, Library Services, • Pamela Drayson, University Librarian, & University of • Catherine Drea, Vice President, Student Engagement and University Partnerships, • Tanis Fink, Director of Libraries and Learning Services, • Suzanne Gibault, Directrice exécutive, Technologies de l’information, de l’apprentissage et des services à l’étudiant / Executive Director, Information, Learning, and Student Services Technology, La Cité Collégiale • Barbara Kelly, Executive Director, Academic Administration, Conestoga College • Teresa Quinlin, Vice President, Corporate Services, • Bill Summers, Vice-President, Research & Policy, Colleges Ontario • Marilyn Crawford, Executive Director, Ontario Colleges Library Service • Virginia Roy, Director of Services, Ontario Colleges Library Service • Maria Ripley, Administration Manager & Strategic Plan Project Manager, Ontario Colleges Library Service

PROJECT TEAM:

• Jill Baker, College Librarian, St. Lawrence College • Lynne Bentley, Library Director, • Nancy Black, Executive Director, Library Services, • Lisa Jack, Manager, Paterson Learning Commons, • Daniel Leduc, Manager, Professional Resource Centre, Collège Boréal • Karen McGrath, Director, Library and Bookstore Services, Niagara College • Linda Schneider, Director, Library Resource Centre, Conestoga College • Marilyn Crawford, Executive Director, Ontario Colleges Library Service • Alex Eykelhof, Director of Information Technology, Ontario Colleges Library Service • Virginia Roy, Director of Services, Ontario Colleges Library Service • Maria Ripley, Administration Manager & Strategic Plan Project Manager, Ontario Colleges Library Service • Coralee Leroux, eResources and Services Coordinator, Ontario Colleges Library Services • Zack Osborne, Information Technology Systems and Services Coordinator, Ontario Colleges Library Service

Fall 2014 OCLS News