Our Purpose
Brock University Library is a hub of the Brock community that fosters curiosity, learning, and research. We provide equitable access to diverse collections, expertise, services, and spaces. We cultivate collaboration among students, staff, and faculty with a commitment to our users, our environment, and long-term sustainability.
Guiding Principles
- We provide dynamic spaces that support active engagement through interdisciplinary dialogue and community connection.
- We teach critical thinking and the skills to navigate, evaluate, and use information effectively in an increasingly complex information ecosystem.
- We welcome all users, strive to remove barriers, and foster equity, diversity, and inclusion.
- We advocate for the creation, sharing, preservation, and discovery of knowledge as widely as possible.
- We carry out our mission sustainably, taking care of our staff, the university, and our planet, guided by the values of our diverse communities.
Strategic Directions & Priorities 2025-2030
Brock University Library champions discovery, learning, and knowledge creation by strengthening research, scholarship, and creative activity across the University. As a transdisciplinary hub, the Library connects the people, ideas, and expertise that create breakthroughs, address global challenges, and prepare the Brock community for a rapidly evolving future.
In support of this priority, Brock University Library will:
- Be responsive and innovative partners in Brock’s teaching and learning, research and scholarship priorities
Strategically manage collections, technology, and research infrastructure to anticipate and address evolving research and teaching needs, while adapting and integrating services and expertise to support program learning outcomes.
- Enable future-focused research, teaching, and learning
Equip students and scholars with the skills, tools, and literacies required for emerging research technologies and practices, such as artificial intelligence.
- Expand the reach and impact of Brock research
Play an important role on campus in all stages of the research lifecycle, including data creation and management, responsible research assessment, evidence synthesis, persistent identifier adoption, scholarly publishing, and open scholarship practices.
- Cultivate an inclusive and vibrant culture
Embed equity, diversity, and inclusion principles in library and art collections, teaching, spaces, and service delivery.
- Provide opportunities for collaborations and partnerships
Connect researchers, students, and faculty to collaborators and networks by leveraging library spaces, expertise, services, and resources.
- Advance reconciliation and understanding of Indigenous cultures and histories
Develop Indigenous-informed library practices to support teaching, research, and scholarship reflective of Indigenous perspectives, histories, and knowledge.
Brock University Library supports the environmental, social, and economic needs of the present while safeguarding the ability of future generations to learn, discover, and create knowledge. Through inclusive services, responsible stewardship, and strategic partnerships, the Library enables sustainable teaching, learning, research, and community engagement.
In support of this priority, Brock University Library will:
- Promote access to and creation of affordable and accessible course materials
Reduce financial barriers for students by supporting the creation and discovery of open educational resources, providing access to course materials through the library’s collection and participating in robust resource sharing networks and partnerships.
- Advocate for embedded and scaffolded learning opportunities to equip students with critical information literacy skills for lifelong success
Provide consultations, instruction, workshops, and embedded learning opportunities to develop research, digital, and critical thinking skills that prepare students for success beyond Brock.
- Evaluate library operations and align with university initiatives to maximize environmental sustainability
Implement environmentally responsible practices across library spaces, collections, and technology while participating in campus-wide sustainability initiatives.
- Assess and streamline library operations to deliver impactful and sustainable services
Challenge past practices, prioritize valuable services, and implement innovative approaches that maximize efficiency and support a resilient financial future.
- Communicate the value of library services to the campus community
Strengthen outreach and engagement to increase awareness of library collections, spaces, services, and expertise.
- Promote open scholarship to support a sustainable academic future
Advance open access publishing, open research data, adoption of persistent identifiers, and other initiatives that increase accessibility and equity, reduce costs, and amplify the impact of Brock research.
- Expand collaborations
Foster partnerships with regional, national, and international libraries and organizations, to share resources, reduce duplication, and support environmentally and financially sustainable service models.
As a space and a service at the heart of the campus, the Library plays a vital role in cultivating an inclusive, equitable and accessible environment for students, staff, and the community. We are committed to fostering a respectful, engaged workforce and campus community.
In support of this priority, Brock University Library will:
- Enhance student experience and student success
Provide inclusive, creative, and meaningful programs and services that support student success and wellbeing.
- Create modern, welcoming, accessible library spaces
Build and continuously modernize spaces that empower users of all backgrounds, support multiple ways of learning and working, and foster a strong sense of belonging within an environment that reflects the evolving needs of our community.
- Place users at the centre
Using a lens of equity, diversity, and inclusion, strive to build spaces, services, and collections that reflect the needs of our diverse community.
- Create conditions where staff can thrive
Foster a respectful workplace environment through communication, transparency, engagement, learning, and personal growth.
- Advance truth and reconciliation
Bridge the gap between past and future by preserving the truth of Indigenous experiences and ensuring our collections, spaces, and services actively foster reconciliation and cultural respect.
Brock University Library connects people, ideas, and knowledge across boundaries. By engaging with other perspectives, we create meaningful opportunities for collaboration and discovery. We welcome international students and researchers. We provide pathways for our community’s research and learning to extend beyond campus and into the region, province, country, and the world.
In support of this priority, Brock University Library will:
- Engage with the Niagara community, Burlington community, and beyond
Cultivate meaningful partnerships and collaborations that connect our campuses with their surrounding communities, extending opportunities for shared learning, research, and discovery across the region, province, and world.
- Promote our unique content and special collections.
Cultivate relationships to promote, steward, preserve, and provide access to our unique collections, including content in the Archives and Special Collections, the Brock Art Collection, and our maps and data.
- Globalize the library
Ensure the library’s collections, services, and spaces reflects a diverse range of global perspectives and experiences.
- Improve access to content to ensure global reach
Promote open scholarship practices, open education resources, and library resource sharing to expand access to Brock Library’s rich collection and Brock University’s research outputs.
- Support international students and researchers
Provide targeted support for international students, faculty, and researchers to effectively use the library and access its services and expertise.