About the Library

Today's Hours: 8am - 10pm - All service hours

Our vision & values 

Vision 

To be central to the University community as a valued facilitator, partner, and catalyst for learning, research, and knowledge-creation on campus. 

Values 

  • Learning: The library values learning and by providing services, instruction, resources, events, and facilities creates conditions that foster learning and the creation of new knowledge. Learning-continuously, effectively, and with integrity-underpins, suffuses, animates, and inspires all other library values.
  • Service: The library strives to meet the needs of our community and achieve excellence in service. We manage our services and collections and work continuously to improve service by focusing on the needs of our user communities (internal and external). We are responsive, reliable and timely in the development and delivery of our services.
  • Intellectual Freedom: The library protects and fosters intellectual freedom. We provide an environment and collection that does not censor information and makes individuals feel comfortable about exchanging ideas that may be considered unconventional, unpopular or controversial. We recognize that even though all ideas may not be embraced each should have a voice.
  • Stewardship: One of the core values of the Library is our ethical responsibility for stewardship. Stewardship encompasses both our responsibility for the care and preservation of knowledge and information resources entrusted to us, and its transmission to future generations. Our stewardship reflects a bond of trust between the Library and our community as well as our mutual interest in and commitment to the cultural and historical legacy of the human record.
  • Access: Ensuring equitable access to information and services is a core value of the Library. We provide impartial and non-judgmental access to resources and services. We strive to provide services, facilities, collections and systems that are accessible to all individuals.
  • Innovation: The library values and fosters innovation. We are always seeking new and better ways of serving and working with the University community. We think creatively, embrace change and take risks. We empower individuals, foster collaboration, and build teams with the capacity to discover, create and act on opportunity.
  • Communication: The library values open communication. We share information in a clear, timely and well thought-out manner. We actively listen to and engage one another in constructive conversations and fruitful collaboration. Our communications encompass and demonstrate all of our organizational values.
  • Integrity: The library believes that an environment of trust, respect and integrity is core to our success. We focus on building relationships and credibility with others and demonstrate honesty in our work.

Strategic priorities 

Our strategic priorities for 2017-2023

  • Transform our physical and digital spaces in order to create tailored, cohesive, and accessible experiences for our users.  
  • Integrate services and resources into teaching and learning in order to deliver library content to users at point of need.  
  • Position the library as the hub of open initiatives in order to enhance sharing of educational materials and research outputs.  
  • Contribute to strategic campus initiatives in order to achieve shared goals.  
  • Foster an inclusive and engaged staff culture in order to grow and develop as an organization.  
  • Adopt evidence-based practices in order to inform decisions about library policies and programming.  

Learn more about how we’re working towards our current strategic priorities (PDF - 77kb). 

Partnerships 

While the McLaughlin Library is located on the main U of G campus, we are affiliated with the University of Guelph-Humber Library as well as a regional campus library on the Ridgetown Campus. 

In keeping with our mandate to support and participate in the wider academic community, we are also members of: 

Publications 

Library Updates

Annual reports 

 

The library is committed to ensuring that members of our user community with disabilities have equal access to our services and resources and that their dignity and independence is always respected. If you encounter a barrier and/or need an alternate format, please fill out our Library Print and Multimedia Alternate-Format Request Form. Contact us if you’d like to provide feedback: lib.a11y@uoguelph.ca