Introduction: These strategic directions reflect the core priorities of the Shared Print Partnership (SPP) and how the organization intends to use its resources to fulfill a shared mission to advance the sustainability, accessibility, and preservation of shared print collections and infrastructure through collective action, collaboration, and advocacy, ensuring enduring access and preservation of critical research materials for the global academic community.
- Strengthening Collaboration:
In alignment with the principles of community collaboration, these strategic directions aim to foster a strong, interconnected network within the Shared Print Partnership- Build Inclusive Communication Channels: Promote clear and open lines of communication among all members, facilitating meaningful participation and ensuring diverse perspectives shape both current and future agendas.
- Enhance Collective Decision-Making: Hold regular, inclusive meetings that encourage active member participation in the agenda-setting process, reinforcing alignment and a shared understanding of our goals and objectives.
- Coordinate and Connect Efforts: Act as a central coordinating entity to bridge shared print programs, streamline efforts, and reduce redundancy where possible, maximizing the impact of our collective work.
- Cultivate Open Dialogue and Continuous Improvement: Encourage honest, constructive feedback among members to identify and address challenges, fostering a responsive and resilient partnership that continually enhances processes and outcomes.
- Enhance Shared Collections:
Strengthen the preservation, accessibility, and sustainability of shared print collections through a community-centered approach- Align Mission and Goals with Current Needs: Periodically review and update the mission, strategic goals, and foundational documents of SPP to ensure they reflect the latest priorities of the research community and member institutions.
- Identify and Address Key Improvement Areas: Collaboratively assess and prioritize areas for enhancement, developing targeted action plans to improve the preservation, accessibility, and sustainability of shared collections.
- Expand and Steward Collaborative Resources: Make available, manage, and broaden essential resources—including shared policies, interoperable standards, best practices, and communication channels—that support effective shared print collaborations.
- Ensure Consistent Implementation through Member Collaboration: Partner with member organizations and libraries to implement shared goals consistently and effectively, fostering a unified, impactful approach to managing shared print collections.
- Building Capacity and Resources:
Ensure careful stewardship of resources – fiscal, technical, or the people who make everything possible – entrusted to SPP to consistently fulfill its community-driven mission with excellence- Enhance Fiscal Stewardship: Ensure sufficient income to support SPP activity, growth, and requisite staffing. Identify and develop a stable relationship with an appropriate fiscal sponsor to ensure fiduciary responsibility.
- Cultivate Grant-writing: Inculcate a practice of consistently trying to secure additional external resources to enable transformational projects.
- Ensure Stable Governance: Promote impactful community-driven leadership that guides strategic planning and enhances SPP’s effectiveness.
- Support Technical Solutions: Prioritize the development, adoption, and diffusion of technologies (whether created by SPP or elsewhere) that solve issues impacting shared print retention and enable better collaboration at scale.
As SPP continues to develop, our strategic directions must adapt accordingly. This dynamic approach will ensure SPP continues to address current challenges but also anticipates future needs of shared print.
We invite your comments on the Strategic Directions via this Google form: https://forms.gle/S5AuRQWeDZEhc2rY8. We will keep the Google form open through Friday, February 7. Community feedback is very important to shape the future of SPP.