Forward plan 2028

We will develop the digital skills, technologies and infrastructure needed to support learning, research and library services. Our work will focus on accessible digital experiences, responsible use of AI and better use of data.

Objective 1: Build digital, creativity and culture capability to enable confident, adaptable skills across staff and students

KR1. Develop and communicate clear developmental pathways for staff and students to build essential digital, data, and AI skills with confidence.

KR2. Embed digital capabilities into the curriculum through a scalable, sustainable offer across all schools, to provide opportunities for digital skills development for every student.

KR3. Support library managers to identify what digital and data skills are needed in their teams so they can offer appropriate pathways to develop those skills and capabilities.

KR4. Launch the Library Knowledge Institute to create a confident, innovative research centre that will advance understanding of knowledge equity, knowledge security, and digital and AI ethics.

KR5. Define our collections-as-data offer and identify datasets to present them within a user-focused interface for access and reuse, to enable teaching and research.

Objective 2: Enable the responsible, sustainable, and ethical use of AI, automation, and emerging technologies across the University community

1. Create a toolkit for library staff to adopt AI, automation and emerging technologies in an ethical, sustainable and responsible manner, to enhance the library service offer.

2. Review our contracts with suppliers to understand the provisions with relation to AI in order to negotiate with suppliers and guide users.

3. Identify and implement AI tools that support the discovery and adaptation of open educational resources, to increase adoption in learning and teaching.

4. Understand AI standards and opportunities for adoption to enable AI user-centred discovery of content across all library collections.

Objective 3: Modernise library systems and interfaces to deliver inclusive, accessible, user-centred digital experiences.

2. Implement a new integrated customer relationship management and knowledge base system to provide timely, user-centred support and information.

3. Perform an accessibility audit of key library platforms and content to create or review accessibility statements and inform discussions with suppliers, to improve the user experience.

4. Perform market analysis for a future collections management system for cultural collections and develop a case for change.

5. Implement LibGuides and establish sustainable web governance that enables consistent, accessible and user-centred content management across the library.

Objective 4: Strengthen digital infrastructure and data interoperability to improve insight, decision-making, and access to services and collections.

1. Map library digital infrastructure to clarify product ownership and data stewardship, to create product roadmaps.

2. Define and implement a ‘library data zone’ to facilitate internal data analysis, insights gathering, and inform data-driven decision-making to improve services.

3. Develop a service roadmap for the outputs of the Digital Library Infrastructure Project (DLIP) with clear product accountability and governance, to enable user-centred, continuous service development.

4. Develop a service roadmap for the outputs of the Ensuring Data Compliance Insights and Sharing (EDCIS) Project with clear product accountability and governance, to enable user-centred, continuous service development.