Volpe Library Strategic Plan
2025-2030
MISSION:
To contribute to the mission of the University by providing the collections, services,
and environments that lead to intellectual discovery and student success.
VISION:
To support Tennessee Tech in achieving national prominence and impact through its
engaged students, dedicated faculty, and career-ready graduates known for their creativity,
tenacity, and analytical approach to problem solving.
CORE PRINCIPLES:
- » Academic Excellence
We expect and produce high academic achievement, foster collaboration, exemplify integrity, and inspire creativity and realized potential for the entire campus community.
- » Community Engagement
We collaborate with community members and organizations to advance positive societal and economic needs.
- » Meaningful Innovation
We are purposefully innovative in all we do.
- » Student Success
We empower students to realize their potential, craft individualized experiences, and discover their passion.
- » Supportive Environment
We are committed to a diverse and welcoming community and provide a campus size and atmosphere that fosters personal attention and fit.
- » Value Creation
We provide a high return on investment from our state, tuition, and donor resources and foster productive, responsible, and caring contributors to society.
STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS:
- Collaboration & Outreach
Develop formal relationships with campus departments, student organizations, and advancement to enhance services and resources.
GOALS:
- Develop events and services that connect University and Upper Cumberland history with the community, departments, and students, while creating traditions and revenue for archive programs, digitization, and preservation
- Research & Collections
Ensure research and collections initiatives align with Tennessee Tech's strategic priorities, faculty and student academic success and to provide equitable access to scholarly resources and knowledge.
GOALS:
- Advance Research Support across the campus community
- Create a responsive and sustainable collections strategy
- Conduct meaningful assessments to measure users' collection needs and satisfaction
- Invest in the technology and people that enable digitization, preservation, and the creation of historical resources that provide accessible and valuable content for the campus, community, and researchers.
- Integrate physical, electronic, and Open Access materials to maintain a cohesive library collection
- Invest in Organizational Wellbeing
Promote engagement and growth for all library employees, realizing that a supportive work environment can cultivate a deep sense of commitment, professional development, and community.
GOALS:
- Support employee learning, development and career growth.
- Foster a successful community between student workers and the TLC staff that encourages individual growth and development
- Create updated spaces that support work environments and align with campus employees' and students' efforts and goals with regard to historical resource creation, digitization, preservation, and use.
- Prioritize mental health, work/life balance and employee well-being
- Foster Community & Student Success
Provide academic support towards Tennessee Tech's goals for student retention and engagement. Position the Volpe Library as a central hub for lifelong learning, collaboration and community building.
GOALS:
- Evaluate the current layout, size, and condition of library spaces and create a space allocation plan.
- Design spaces that facilitate community events, programs, and partnerships.
- Expand and enhance tutoring with additional course offerings and increased tutor certification
- Provide support for campus and the community through incorporating archive collections and access into academic programs, departments, and student work.
- Innovate self-service components to support administration's building changes, which allow for students' increased collaboration and learning
- Access & Engagement
Support Tennessee Tech's academic and student success goals by ensuring consistent access to resources and services and advancing meaningful engagement with the campus community.
GOALS:
- Create plan to increase collections budget and include cost of inflation.
- Prioritizing the needs and experiences of the campus community, continuously assessing satisfaction and adapting services accordingly.
- Leverage mass digitization and preservation efforts to enhance university programs by fostering interdisciplinary research and community engagement.
- Advance users’ access to the collection by improving discovery and enhancing education