Vision
The USC Libraries will advance consequential research and scholarship, create enriching and equitable learning experiences, inspire polymathic creativity and informed risk-taking, and empower learners, creators, and explorers to make meaningful discoveries.
Mission
The USC Libraries develop and deliver diverse collections, services, and programs that support and encourage USC’s academic, creative, and professional endeavors. We experiment. We invent. We cultivate an inclusive community of intellectually enterprising thinkers, creators, and practitioners as we contribute to the development of engaged, ethical, and inspiring global citizens.
Unifying Values
As active participants in the USC Culture Journey, the libraries commit to advancing the six unifying values and living their definitions. Our faculty and staff also developed libraries-specific definitions, listed below, to help us embody the values in library collections, services, programs, and ways of engaging our community.
1. Integrity
We take ethically and morally grounded actions guided by USC’s values and our principles as academic information professionals.
2. Excellence
We strive to achieve the highest standards of discovery, preservation, access to, and applications of scholarly and creative knowledge.
3. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
We celebrate difference and oppose bias and racism as we create inclusive and accessible study, research, work, and engagement experiences.
4. Well-being
We create and sustain safe, productive, and inspiring libraries–physical and virtual–to help each other and our community thrive in mind, body, and spirit.
5. Open Communication
We embrace transparency, listening, timeliness, and engaged dialogue that is meaningful, respectful, and productive in our interactions with each other and our community.
6. Accountability
We set honest and realistic expectations, follow through, and act with consequential responsibility toward our community, our collections, and our colleagues.
Strategic Themes for Goal Development
1. Equitable access to diverse information resources, programs, and services.
2. Vibrant, inclusive physical, intellectual, and technological library environments.
3. Experimentation and collaboration to extend our reach, presence, and possibilities.
4. Leadership where our unique expertise advances teaching, learning, research, and creativity.