Strategy

We show the way to knowledge in a changing society

The strategy builds on previous strategic efforts, while at the same time technological development and the major challenges of the time, from the climate crisis to the well-being of young people, call for further cooperation and joint solutions.

The technological development offers unprecedented opportunities to access and process information in new ways. A development that is driven by commercial and geopolitical interests, and which will have a major impact on the way we as a library use technology to meet users' expectations.

It is more important than ever before that users can find, navigate and critically relate to the ever-increasing amount of data and information, and that free and equal access to knowledge remains part of the foundation for an open and vibrant democratic society. This requires that we constantly develop new solutions and services and show the way to knowledge that makes a difference.

Our users

Royal Danish Library is open to anyone who, for private or professional reasons, wants to use our services. We serve the users based on the library's legal basis and concluded agreements, either as national services or via the library's collaboration partners. This applies, among other things, to the country's educational and research institutions as well as the public libraries.

Royal Danish Library provides focused services

For educational and research institutions

• Access digital and physical heritage materials, operate shared library system and manage licensed e-resources at a national level.
• Full university library service for the University of Copenhagen, Aarhus University, Roskilde University and the IT University.

For public libraries

• Library materials for the public libraries either as a head office or on the basis of specific agreements.
• Library materials for refugees and immigrants, mediates loans from home and abroad and functions as a depository library.
• Digital access to cultural heritage materials. This applies to materials both without and with copyright protection, for example recent newspapers.

For citizens

• Online access to digitised materials, for example scientific journals and cultural heritage materials in the form of images, newspapers and more.
• Guidance, home loans, reading places, access to reading room-clause materials, licensed e-resources and copyright protected cultural heritage materials at our physical locations.
• Dissemination of cultural heritage in the form of exhibitions, lectures and concerts.

Strategic goals

The strategy's three overall goals and underlying focus areas must contribute to creating a common direction for our work.

We will therefore continue the development of Royal Danish Library as a knowledge and cultural institution in demand for our partners and users throughout the country.

• Supplier of knowledge and cultural heritage
• A national and local library partner
• Space for reflection and community

Supplier of knowledge and cultural heritage

Royal Danish Library delivers knowledge and cultural heritage to our users by providing access to and disseminating diverse collections of physical and digital library materials: books, journal articles, photos, audio, television broadcasts, internet materials, computer games and much more.

Users have an expectation that information can be accessed quickly, easily and as far as possible digitally or locally. That is why we constantly focus on improving materials management so that the materials reach the users quickly.

We will continue to work on optimising underlying structures and processes as well as using new technology to develop physical and digital material management, so that the library can continue to be a significant supplier of knowledge and cultural heritage.

We will provide easier user access to more materials

Royal Danish Library materials primarily create value when they are translated into insight and knowledge by the library's users. It requires that users can find the materials they are looking for and that their curiosity is piqued along the way.

Royal Danish Library continuously works to strengthen users' access by harmonising, improving and increasing access to the materials. At the same time, Royal Danish Library undertakes similar tasks for other institutions by virtue of the library's size and existing collaborations.

On that basis, Royal Danish Library will in the strategy period:

• Make heritage collections more accessible to users by digitising and publishing more library materials, explore the possibilities of entering into licensing agreements to provide digital access to copyright-protected material, enrich the collections' metadata and explore the possibility of improving searches using linked data and artificial intelligence
• Make it easier for users to find and navigate the library materials by reducing the number of independent entrances, access and dissemination solutions.

We will improve material management for the benefit of current and future users

The library's material management must continue to follow technological developments, so Royal Danish Library can provide quick and unhindered access to materials and ensure appropriate storage, regardless of whether it is in physical or digital form.

Information technologies develop and become obsolete at the speed of light, and there is a significant risk that digital materials will be lost or become difficult to access. Preservation of the digital cultural heritage requires that the methods of material management are updated and adapted to contemporary data standards and formats.

On that basis, Royal Danish Library will in the strategy period:

• Ensure a prioritised collection of relevant digital cultural heritage materials, among other things through partnerships with suppliers.
• Optimise the operation of the home loan collections and reduce collection overlap in Royal Danish Library's own collections as well as corresponding support across the libraries at the country's educational and research institutions, among other things with a view to a reduction of storage facilities.
• Future-proof users' access to digital cultural heritage materials, among other things by updating and continuously developing the IT infrastructure for handling the digital cultural heritage.

A national and local library partner

Royal Danish Library manages materials and provides library services to public libraries as well as to a number of the country's educational and research institutions. This gives the library a special opportunity to create cross-functional synergies, strengthen the digital transformation and contribute to the development of the overall library landscape in Denmark.

As a national library partner, Royal Danish Library wishes to be a strategic actor that contributes to international library development, acts as an overall link between library actors in Denmark and supports national efforts for increased and open access.

As a local library partner, Royal Danish Library is a university library for students and researchers at, among others, Copenhagen University (KU), Aarhus University (AU) and Roskilde University (RUC) and wants to develop and deliver library services at the highest professional level, while at the same time adapting the library's services to the individual university's needs, resources and ambitions.

We will strengthen education and research through strategic collaborations

The educational and research institutions have a decisive role in ensuring that Denmark continues to be a strong and innovative knowledge society. Therefore, we want to strengthen the support for the work of the educational and research institutions, among other things through the national license negotiations, elements of the Open Science agenda and in the institutions' cooperation with the business world.

On that basis, Royal Danish Library will in the strategy period:

• Contribute to the educational and research institutions' further work to ensure open access to publicly funded research, among other things through national negotiations of licensed e-resources and by taking part in the national Open Access work
• Strengthen students' and researchers' use of the library's materials, among other things by making collection data available, supporting work with, among other things, Open Data, the FAIR principles and text and data mining, and by highlighting the research and teaching potential of cultural heritage collections to for example KU, AU, RUC.
• Contribute to increasing the societal value of research by strengthening the integrated servicing of researchers at, among others, KU, AU, RUC by strengthening the supporting Open Science and Open Education efforts within, among other things, data management, systematic reviews and publication guidance.
• Explore the potential to contribute to the interaction between KU, AU, RUC and the business world by supporting the universities' entrepreneurial efforts, contributing to the universities' focus on research-based innovation and strengthening knowledge-based institutions and companies' access to scientific literature.

We will increase the use of Royal Danish Library through closer cooperation with public libraries

Citizens who, for private or professional reasons, wish to use Royal Danish Library's materials and library services must have as easy access as possible, regardless of where they live. As more materials are made available digitally, Royal Danish Library wishes to enter into a closer collaboration with public libraries on meta-dating and dissemination.

The desire for closer cooperation must also be seen in the light of the fact that in these years there is an increasing focus on improving the information skills and the digital education of students in youth education.

On that basis, Royal Danish Library will in the strategy period:

• Strengthen the use of Royal Danish Library's materials and library services via continued, close collaboration with public libraries. This can be done, among other things, by preparing more and better metadata for the public libraries' library systems.
• Support the transition from youth education to higher education by contributing to the dialogue and cooperation on information skills and digital education between the educational and research institutions and the public libraries.

Space for reflecting and community

Royal Danish Library provides a diverse and vibrant library environment for users and provides space for reflection, inspiration, learning, conversation and shared professional, social and cultural experiences.

We want to further develop our physical library spaces and strengthen the connection between them and the library's digital presence, so that they invite users in even more and support their needs throughout their lives.

Recent studies show that cultural experiences contribute positively to the population's mental health and can play a significant role in preventing dissatisfaction.

Against this background, we will continue to create and develop open library spaces that offer citizens cultural experiences where you can be inspired and immerse yourself together.

We will continue to develop the open library spaces so that they contribute to learning, cultural dissemination and well-being

Royal Danish Library will actively invite all citizens into the library space and create an inspiring space for learning, culture and shared experiences.

Our physical locations have a special function for students at KU, AU and RUC as the third space – the space between the formal classroom and the free social space. Many students use study, reading spaces and group rooms, and the library provides a space for professional development as well as participation in student life communities.

Therefore, we want to strengthen the use of the library space among students. In the design and experience of the library's study, reading rooms and group rooms, we want to contribute to students having a flexible space for professional development, the formation of relationships and enhanced well-being in student life.

On that basis, Royal Danish Library will in the strategy period:

• Develop the physical library spaces in collaboration with the users, so that they are used to an even greater extent and support the users' needs.
• Further develop Royal Danish Library's concepts for the library as a meeting place for the dissemination of culture and knowledge as well as widespread cultural offerings for the whole country.

Transverse points of orientation

The purpose of the transversal points is to tie the strategy's goals and efforts together and create a strong starting point for the strategic work, while at the same time the points must ensure a continued focus on consolidating the library's long-term strategic and organisational processes and efforts.

The transversal benchmarks must thus contribute to strengthening the synergy effect and the organisational cohesion across Royal Danish Library's areas and departments, so that we also use the library's resources effectively in the future for the benefit of our users.

A digital and data-driven organisation

Royal Danish Library will translate new technological opportunities within, among other things, digitisation and artificial intelligence into solutions that create value for users and support a democratic knowledge society. Among other things, the solutions must strengthen the users' ability to be critical of the methods and sources of the knowledge and information that is created and disseminated via the new digital possibilities.

Royal Danish Library will develop, automate and streamline the library's IT infrastructure and systems by developing new and consolidating existing solutions. We will continue to digitise and meta-date the library's materials and make the library's collection data available to our partners, thereby gearing users' access to knowledge and cultural heritage and our systems for the future. The technological development and the changed global security picture also result in a continued need to develop the physical as well as the digital security of the library's resources and values.

Royal Danish Library will strengthen the library's data-based management and decision-making basis, so that priorities and decisions are made on an evidence-based basis.

An attractive and inspiring workplace

Royal Danish Library will be an attractive, inspiring and inclusive workplace with a continued focus on a healthy working environment, balanced working life and management and employee development. We want to do this in order to continue to attract and retain qualified labour, so that we can realise the library's ambitions and create value for users and partners.

Through a strategic and holistic use of our locations and the total building stock, Royal Danish Library wishes to create the space for a flexible work organisation and a workplace development that supports new ways of working and individual needs.

A greener library

Royal Danish Library will contribute to a more climate-friendly and sustainable society – economically, environmentally and socially. As a library, we will take the lead with good initiatives and commit to creating a greener library.

At the same time, we will utilise technological development and the use of data as a tool to promote the library's ambitions within the green transition. Our climate and sustainability are incorporated into new strategic initiatives, and our overall objectives in this area are set out in Royal Danish Library's climate strategy.

January 2024