The libraries of the Cambridge colleges complement the work of other libraries within the University and are an integral part of information provision across the University. They offer support for teaching, scholarship and research, aligned with their college’s strategic priorities, and as far as possible within available resources, in the following key areas:
- Collegial Relations: Contributing significantly to the collegial ethos and culture by being an accessible, welcoming, and multi-disciplinary ‘home’ library for all members of the college to use
- Teaching and Learning: Supporting the college in its central activity of teaching and learning, and working closely with the college's academic staff to meet and anticipate teaching needs
- Information Literacy: Providing helpful and clear gateway services designed to introduce students of the college to, and give them confidence in using, the library and research information resources of the University
- Collection Development: Developing relevant and up-to-date collections to serve the subjects studied by students of the college, predominantly in taught courses
- Study Space: Providing congenial and varied spaces that are conducive to study within the college community
- User Services: Offering rapid, responsive and tailored user-based services, by qualified and trained librarians and other information professionals
- Special Collections: Managing those special, historic, and in many cases internationally important, collections that are owned by some colleges, and promoting and facilitating their use for research and outreach activities
- Collaborative Activities: Working closely in collaboration with the wider Cambridge library community (UL, departments, faculties) to establish policy, develop standards, introduce new services, and acquire e-resources for library users
Ratified by the Cambridge Colleges Library Forum, 2015.
