Library Quality Management and Operations Manual
Strategic management means specification of the library’s aims and tasks and the assurance that they support the achievement of the university’s strategic objectives in the best possible manner.
The library's strategic management is steered by the strategy of the University of Turku as well as its rules and regulations and the yearly planning of university services, the legislation and Ministry of Education and Culture instructions and policies as well as the agreements, standards and policies of the library sector.
The Library Director and management group look after the strategic planning, monitoring, assessment and development of operations. The management group participates in the yearly preparation of operational and financial plans and acts as a decision-maker.
The extended management group looks after the operational planning of actions and of the implementation of the action plan.
The library has a feedback system for the collection and analysis of oral and written feedback. Feedback is collected in advisory boards as well as in meetings between the library management and the student union. A client satisfaction survey is implemented at two-year intervals. The feedback obtained thereby is applied in a versatile manner in the development of the library.
The development of operations is based on continuous active improvement of the PDCA principle: Plan, Do, Check, Act. In this respect, operations are planned in accordance with the agreed aims and performed in keeping with the plans. The actions are assessed and measured as well as developed on the basis of this feedback. The examination of goals and development of operations are regarded as a continuous process in which we come increasingly closer to the objectives set after each development round.
The Turku University Library promotes research, teaching and studying and research with high-quality services that are based on the needs of the university community. It supports the basic task of the university by acquiring and offering the information resources required by the university community, providing instruction for their utilization and by supporting the publishing of open access research publications, research data and theses. In addition, the library is responsible for the publication and research data management in the current research information system as well as for the research publication metrics and evaluation services. Library develops scientific subject-based expert services.
The university is a versatile learning environment that integrates both traditional and online information sources into a modern knowledge environment. The library is developing its services in a dialogue with the scientific community and students in order to respond to the changing information needs of clients. The library’s new services are weighted towards specialist services and related research as well as teaching support services.
The library supports the knowledge requirements of the surrounding community by functioning as Southwest Finland’s largest scientific library that is open to all. The Turku University Library is a legal deposit library whose task has been the preservation, storage and provision of domestic (Finland-based) materials since 1919 as well as their provision for research use, in accordance with the Act on Collecting and Preserving Cultural Material (28 December 2007, SK 1433/2007).
The library's information resources policy outlines library's practices to ensure that the university community has access to high-quality information resources. The library acquires publications primarily in electronic form.
The Turku University Library is a scientific library open to all that provides accessible library services and collections.
The Turku University Library is a significant cultural institution. The Turku University Library is a legal deposit library whose task has been the preservation, storage and provision of domestic (Finland-based) materials since 1919 as well as their provision for research use, in accordance with the Act on Collecting and Preserving Cultural Material (28 December 2007, SK 1433/2007). Functioning as a legal deposit library represents important social interaction for the library. Legal deposit rights ensure the permanent archiving of national publication output for the requirements of both current and future research and other usage.
The requirement for regional cooperation is that the institutions of higher learning function, in accordance with the possibilities, in collaboration. The library is involved in regional cooperation by networking with the other university libraries in the region. Cooperation concretizes with, for instance, Åbo Akademi University in the joint European Documentation Centre, which serves all who need information on the European Union.
The library generates exhibitions and participates regionally in the exhibitions of other organizations by offering comprehensive information resources and special collections for use; for instance, an ephemera collection.
The library organizes tours of library premises and services to the general public. The library also offers its facilities for the purpose of the University of Turku’s social interaction (YVV) functions, e.g. book publication occasions.
The library operates within the national and international library networks.
The library distributes information on its operations and markets its services also outside the university community on its open website.