The newest in a series of long-range plans for the MSU Libraries has been unveiled. Called “MSU Libraries 2025,” the new plan articulates focus areas for the Libraries regarding Collections and Content, Services, Spaces, and Organizational matters for the next five years. 

Action Items for the current fiscal year (FY21) are woven into the current five-year plan. As time and initiatives progress, updates and outcomes will be articulated as well.

The new long-range plan also articulates five guiding principles that will guide and inform the Libraries efforts through at least 2025:

• Digital First: During this five-year period the MSU Libraries will undertake planning and make decisions to implement and improve both content and services based on the fundamental idea that the digital version will be the principal version of information content and services, ideally available anywhere, anytime to the learning communities we serve. Print and physical media objects will continue to be acquired and, when appropriate, circulated, as will in-person services, but digital and online will be the preferred modality, whenever feasible. 
  
  
• Data-Informed: For many facets of the operation of a medium-sized academic library at a public university in the Midwest, the MSU Libraries will strive to use data to inform our decision-making and assessment activities in order to redeploy our resources and assets.
  
  
• User-Driven: The MSU Libraries will continue its ongoing efforts to learn about the changing information needs, behaviors, and attitudes of members of all the communities we serve, including potential users, and then craft content, services, and spaces that help those communities to attain their information goals and objectives. 
  
  
• Inclusive, Welcoming, and Anti-Racist: We commit to actively moving the MSU Libraries as a vital service organization at this public university with a Public Affairs Mission toward becoming more inclusive, welcoming, and anti-racist regarding its the content, services, and spaces (physical, online, and virtual). 
  
  
• User-Empowered: Give users the power, encouragement, tools, and support to help  them engage in more self-serve use of the content, services, and spaces offered by the MSU Libraries.

The MSU Libraries, of course, continues to provide many types of services, content, and spaces that are not specifically covered in this Long-Range Plan. It is not a comprehensive plan, but it does highlight certain needs and areas of effort and focus for the coming years.