Strategic Plan

University Collections will provide leadership in formulating clear, consistent, and efficient guidelines for collections management and care. This initiative will also address collections management systems for individual collections and a systemwide policy and document repository.

Many IU collections have unmet needs in terms of storage, environmental controls, and risk management. To guarantee the stability of all collections, University Collections will work with collections managers to assess every collection’s environmental condition and related risks and develop appropriate responses to address unmet needs. This includes climate control (such as proper temperature and humidity), pest control, security, disaster planning, and proper item housing.

The university maintains collections to contribute to its research, teaching, and service missions. An active and ongoing challenge is to enhance the role that collections play in research and teaching and to make these collections more accessible to the IU and surrounding communities. Digital access to collections is a critical step in increasing both access and use, but other measures, such as increased exhibition and collections-based events, will ensure maximum impact.

Few of the universities' collections have adequate resources. While the university has been extraordinarily successful in increasing resources committed to collections in recent years, most collections continue to have unmet needs, including ongoing facilities maintenance, supplies, preservation and conservation requirements, and staffing. Moreover, new initiatives to enhance digital access and the role of collections in research and teaching will require additional support. Thinking creatively and working collaboratively across the university to find those resources is a key task for University Collections.