Sarah Ledden | Senior Staff Writer
Digitalisation, multi-disciplinary collaboration and adaptive development are fundamental over the next five years to allow the library to adequately function and compete as a 21st-century research library, according to documents obtained by The University Times. In accordance with the university’s Strategic Plan, library staff and researchers are preparing for changes to represent the university’s strategic priorities, such as technology-enhanced education, exploratory innovation and entrepreneurship, to improve Trinity’s national and international appeal.
The Library aims to identify the needs of students and researchers through longitudinal observational studies of physical and virtual interactions and user feedback. This information will be used to create a versatile environment which reflects the expectations and the changing behaviours of users based on technological advances in teaching, research and study methods. The library intends to develop in light of the expectations of students, staff and researchers and align with the academic priorities, as outlined in the University Strategic Plan, and research needs of the university Schools.
The perception of the library by external audiences will also strongly influence the design of these developments. Digitalisation of the library is highlighted as a key attribution to Trinity’s success. The library intends to facilitate this digital progression by expanding the available online catalogue and digital resources, increase efficiency and effectiveness of search tools and advance the infrastructure and access to digital collections to increase global access. It also hopes to enhance and expand the range of online services, tutorials and support available for research, teaching and learning. Expansion of virtual tours and content of exhibitions for external audiences would also be a vision of the digital advancement of the library.
The priorities of the library over the coming years include more constructive use of space, both for student use and exhibition presentation, and increased preservation of research collections. Spaces within the BLU, Hamilton and Sterne libraries will be reconsidered to foster different styles of teaching and learning and promote student experimental and collaborative learning. With a vision that the library should become a core of the Trinity College community, it is hoped that the library can facilitate both study and social zones for both international and local students. A large part of the strategic development of the Trinity College library concerns audience perception and presentation of library services to visitors, researchers and potential students to increase the appeal and reputation of Trinity College and connect the public with the academic life of the university.
One of the challenges set by the plan is to define the visitor world-heritage experience uniquely from the context of a university. This development of the visitor experience could implement the reallocation of space to include the creation of an exhibition hall in the Berkeley Library to showcase student-curated exhibitions and Trinity content and the removal of temporary exhibitions from the Long Room to facilitate increased conservation. It is also proposed that TCD academic research is displayed more publicly through screens around campus. Key considerations for the library to enable these improvements is the adoption of a risk-based approach and creating adequate funding strategies. It is outlined that each strategic priority will be individually risked assessed and reviewed to identify it’s potential impact and probability of success and achievement. Risk assessment and management of collections will be of an internationally recognised standard to minimise the risk of damage and mitigation of collections and content of the library.
One of the biggest risks the Library hopes to avoid is risks to the university if the library is not taken to the next level to compete as a 21st learning space. An intricate funding strategy is to be developed in the coming months but it is expected that entrepreneurial partnerships,collaboration with the government, identification of national and international grants, as well, as investigative income generation methods will be considered.
Photo by Andrew Murphy for The University Times
