Mission & Vision

The Baylor Libraries lead as an innovative research library that undergirds scholarship, fosters teaching, and learning, and builds communities.

We will accomplish the mission by:

Partnering with researchers to create innovative solutions that enhance research and teaching.
Combining expertise and resources within dynamic spaces to produce collaborations that create new knowledge.
Providing digital, print, archival, human, and other resources that empower research and teaching.
Developing partnerships that establish learning communities.

Baylor in Deeds Strategic Plan Alignment

In August 2024, Baylor University unveiled its new strategic plan, Baylor in Deeds. Throughout the fall term, the Libraries collaborated across the organization to adapt its existing five-year plan to the commitments as defined by the imperatives and pillars of the university's new strategic plan. The result of these deliberations follows and will guide the Libraries for the next five years.

I. Equipping Students to Flourish

Enhance the quality and quantity of our engaged learning experiences in support of a wide range of literacies, learning objectives, and critical thinking skills.
- Optimize course production strategies to improve the course design process.
- Increase the quantity and continue evolving our approach to course integrated instruction provided by our librarians, special collections, the Experiential Learning Commons team, and the Book Arts & Letterpress Lab.
- Expand the integration of literacy frameworks (information, data, AI, media, making, etc.) into curricular instruction and workshops across the range of literacies.
Expand the number of Open Educational Resources created by faculty and staff through the Affordable Course Materials Fellowship program to reduce the cost of course materials and extend Baylor’s reputation through the OER Commons.
Explore additional forms of undergraduate and graduate student employment that provide opportunities for extracurricular development while enhancing library operations.

II. Broadening Interdisciplinary Research and Impact

Grow the Black Gospel Archive and increase engagement in the Baylor community and beyond while enhancing online accessibility for researchers.
Highlight the Libraries’ existing Latin American collections and broaden our capacity to support research in and on Latin America through targeted acquisitions, developing specialized expertise, improving access, strategic exploration, and assessment.
Collaborate with Global Engagement to provide programs and services in support of Pro Mundo.
Increase cross-departmental collaboration by leveraging the Libraries’ position as an interdisciplinary hub.

III. Building a Vibrant, Caring, Global Community

Create opportunities for intercultural learning and holistic wellbeing through events, exhibits, and other programming that engages with relevant academic topics, supports diverse communities, and promotes a sense of belonging.
Extend access to select online resources to Baylor Alumni to support lifelong learning.
Enrich community partnerships to raise awareness of resources available to the local community.

IV. Demonstrating Christian Stewardship

Resources

Implement a Dynamic Collection Management Strategy:
- Conduct regular reviews of the print collection to ensure the retention of materials that support research and historically important subject print collections
- Expand digital access to support existing and future online graduate programs.
Lead an initiative to preserve born-digital archives as stewards of the university’s history through the University Archives, Riley Digitization Center, Institute for Oral History, and the Library Systems team to ensure the preservation of Baylor’s digital artifacts and documents with enduring historical value.

Spaces

Develop new and renovate existing learning spaces in Moody and Jones Libraries that support student engagement, intercultural understanding, and diverse learning styles and accommodate individual and group study, providing spaces for at least 15% of the student population.
Collaborate with campus stakeholders to develop and deploy technologies that support dynamic teaching and adaptable layouts in classrooms and other spaces across campus.

V. Incorporating AI into Campus Infrastructure

Deploy AI-enabled features on existing, licensed or managed platforms.
Explore and adopt emergent AI tools that improve library operations and access as well as enhance research, teaching, and learning.
Attain expertise in AI-based technologies and train the Baylor community to engage with them critically, ethically, and effectively.

Year One and Two Initiatives

The following initiatives will guide the Libraries as they fulfill the Baylor in Deeds Strategic plan. These initiatives may be revised based on the initiatives of other university department and unanticipated changes.