Guiding Statements

Service Philosophy

We partner with you to explore ideas, spark creativity, meet your research and scholarship needs, and support teaching and learning.

Mission

To partner with JMU’s diverse communities in creating and seeking knowledge, by sharing our expertise and providing essential academic resources, physical and virtual spaces, and educational and research services.

Vision

We aim to be JMU’s intellectual crossroads: supporting excellence in creative exploration; partnering to advance teaching and learning; and curating and disseminating scholarship.

Values

• Adaptability and Continuous Learning
• Collective Trust and an Ethic of Care
• Openness, Effective Communication, and Collaboration
• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility
• Innovation 
• Sustainability
• Community-Centered Focus

Statement of Aspirational Culture

As a blended organization providing both library and learning technology services, we work intentionally to create a collaborative, care-centered culture that celebrates accomplishments, cultivates and enhances abilities, supports experimentation and growth, and is resourced to provide sustainable, needed services.

JMU Libraries’ Principles of Recruitment & Employee Development

JMU Libraries strives to be an organization that emphasizes excellence in teaching, learning, and research support through creativity, innovation, and a nurturing environment.  Libraries’ recruitment and promotion processes are guided by this principle:  JMU Libraries seeks the best candidates for moving the organization’s mission, vision, and strategic plan forward.  JMU Libraries employs thorough processes and considers all the available information and situational contexts to evaluate the placement of each new or vacant position and to accurately describe the expectations for the position.  Libraries strives to cultivate a diverse environment as described in our Diversity Statement (below) and through thoughtful recruitment and retention practices. 

Libraries’ employee development environment is guided by this principle:  just as JMU prepares students to be successful and engaged in a global society, JMU Libraries prepares its employees to be successful both locally and in the global marketplace.  Libraries provides a fair and mindful employee development environment that seeks alignment between individual professional development needs and the needs of the university community which those individuals serve.  This supportive environment encourages collaborative mentoring and partnership across reporting lines and employment categories, so that Library employees may best learn skills that empower them for further growth. 

JMU Libraries’ Diversity Statement

JMU utilizes this glossary to help create a shared understanding of terms, based on a recommendation from the JMU Task Force on Racial Equity.

Diversity is a core value of JMU, JMU Libraries, and librarianship. Knowledge is enriched by diverse perspectives and participation. JMU Libraries recognizes current and historical biases in our society and works to actively foster an inclusive environment for the JMU communities. To that end, JMU Libraries strives to:

• Create equitable, accessible, and welcoming spaces;
• Provide collections, services, and programs that reflect a variety of perspectives and lived experiences;
• Provide ongoing training and support for all JMU Libraries employees in developing cultural competencies; and
• Be an organization that attracts and retains a diverse workforce.

Inspired by statements from MIT Libraries and Iowa State University Library.