To support the professional, social and personal development of all members of USJ’s academic community by improving the literacy levels, knowledge and research skills of better informed, self-reliant professionals and responsible citizens.
The Library will become the natural local and regional gateway for access to reliable information resources relevant to USJ’s programmes, courses and research, to the Catholic heritage of Macau and to data related to Portuguese Speaking Countries.
Strategic Objective – I
To effectively anticipate and respond to all library-related needs of the academic community concerning teaching, learning and research by providing appropriate facilities, resources, tools and skills.
Actionable Measures
Collaborate with academic staff and students for efficient provision and curation of the appropriate resources and necessary conditions for the development of their activities.
Secure a relevant and updated pool of learning resources compliant with the local, regional and international standards for an institution of higher education, in line with the University’s mission and vision.
Keep an updated library website including search and retrieval systems compliant with international standards through which physical and digital materials can be easily searched, retrieved and referenced, and provide accompanying programme-focused interactive library orientation materials (libguides).
Develop and implement all necessary Library Regulations, Policies and Procedures to ensure that the Library’s operations and activities are well understood by the community.
Implement and maintain an effective communication system between the Library and its patrons in order to promote the usage of its services and resources and to facilitate contact with the Library team.
Provide appropriate library space for supporting activities and services.
Create a Library Advisory Council which includes staff and students to promote the enhancement of the Library services.
Strategic Objective – II
Position the Library as the “heart of the University and academic life”.
Actionable Measures
Maintain patrons (students, academics and community) as the core value of the University and constantly focus on promoting a knowledge seeking attitude, responsible citizenship practices and a positive ethical social behaviour, making them part of an everyday transformation of the library.
Give patrons a strong voice in the collection building and activities development.
Make library spaces a destination for creative exploration and the development of new and informal ways of learning.
Ensure that students recognise and respond to the importance of using reliable information and cultural systems such as Libraries, Archives, Museums, etc.
Secure the library as a student’s home for intellectual freedom and creative thinking, ensuring that judgement and criticism are tempered and appropriate and focus on knowledge seeking and the pursuit for excellence.
Strategic Objective – III
To create a relentless research culture among the USJ community by supporting different outputs, outcomes and activities.
Actionable Measures
Organize and make accessible worldwide all USJ research outputs such as theses, dissertations, papers, conference proceedings, etc.
Develop the USJ Thesis and Dissertations Repositorium Policy followed by setting up and maintaining the USJ Repositorium which assures that all research output is secure for future generations and easily accessed through a system compliant with international standards of practice.
Integrate USJ Repositorium in local, regional and international networks and federated academic search engines.
Develop and maintain a USJ Scholars Database to promote research and academic excellence guaranteeing all necessary institutional support to USJ academic community.
Manage the USJ Academic Press supporting all publishing projects.
Provide a platform for academic dialogue and critical thinking by developing a diverse range of activities such as conferences, seminars, workshops, exhibitions, etc.
Strategic Objective – IV
Position the USJ Library as an indispensable partner to the regional information and documentation network and cultural ecosystem.
Actionable Measures
Ensure that the USJ Library provides a unique pool of resources and services most relevant to USJ’s mission and to secure a place as a key regional partner.
Position USJ Library as an essential partner for research in selected domains, including but not limited to Religious Studies; Western and Asian Philosophy; Theology; Christian Studies; Christian and Catholic Missions in Asia; History of the Catholic Diocese of Macau; a wide scope of topics regarding Portuguese Speaking Countries; and other domains directly related with USJ’s programmes in Architecture, Design and Environmental Sciences.
Be a fully active member of the Macau Academic Library Alliance (MALA) and the Guangdong, Macau and Hong Kong University Library Alliance (GMHULA).
Develop strong cooperation and, where appropriate, affiliation with local, regional and international relevant associations such as the Macau Library and Information Management Association, the Associação Portuguesa de Bibliotecários, Arquivistas e Documentalistas (APBAD), the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA), and the International Association of University Libraries (IATUAL) among others.
Cooperate with relevant local, regional and international institutions particularly those related to the Catholic Church, such as Catholic research and information centres, academic libraries, archives, seminaries, etc.
Cooperate with relevant institutions related to the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP), such as libraries, archives, museums, and cultural institutions.
In cooperation with the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP), position the USJ Library as the preferred local and regional Information Centre about all countries of CPLP and a dedicated partner for information related to Macau, Hong Kong, China and Southeast Asia.
Position USJ Library, in cooperation with the Macau Catholic Diocese as the preferred cultural partner concerning the Diocesan Library, Archives and Cultural Heritage Projects.
Implement an external reader card system with specific regulations to expand the scope of our users and raise the social impact of the USJ Library.
Establish cooperation agreements with institutions such as schools and cultural associations to reach out deeper into Macau society and expand the social impact of the USJ Library services.
Implement an annual cultural plan together with local, regional and international institutions (Schools, Associations, Museums, etc.).
Implement an annual social plan to raise awareness of the importance of literacy and the development of healthy reading habits.
Strategic Objective – V
To be a Sustainable and Inclusive Library.
Actionable Measures
Implement all necessary measures for USJ Library to attain internationally recognized standards in Inclusive Higher Education and Sustainability.
Ensure the sustainability of the Library by guaranteeing that the allocated financial, physical and human resources are duly transformed into relevant services for its patrons and community.
Maintain a constant concern among staff and students for positive environmental practices and develop projects to lower the ecological footprint of USJ Library so it stands out in Macao as The Green Library.
Provide adequate library space and infrastructures for all services and patrons without architectural barriers or other constraints.
Support patrons with disabilities within a truly Inclusive Higher Education environment.
Raise the awareness within the community of the UN 2030 Agenda and China’s National Plan on the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, while ensuring that the USJ Library services are aligned with the items related to Education, Literacy and Information, particularly the Sustainable Development Goal 4 – Quality Education (SDG 4 – Quality Education), “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”.
Develop a Universal Literacy training program, to ensure that no-one is left behind and equal opportunities are given to all patrons to function with the scholarly and reliable information resources required for their studies, regardless of their initial skills and literacy level.