Co-designing a strategy for an evolving sector
Western Sydney University
The brief
Strategy development • Co-design • Workshops • Strategic copywriting • Corporate communication
Western Sydney University’s Library is a vital partner in enabling the success, wellbeing and lifelong learning of a 45,000+ strong student community.
A new Library strategy was needed to support this mission and provide a strong foundation to lead – not just respond - in a rapidly evolving sector shaped by the changing needs of their students, emerging technologies and shifting University priorities.
From the outset, the Library was clear the strategy needed to be shaped with their people, not just for them. With over 100 team members across 8 locations, it was essential to engage staff throughout the process to ensure the outcomes were both visionary and actionable – and owned by its people.
“Partnering with Inkfield has been a truly transformative experience for the library at Western Sydney University. ”
— Fiona Salisbury, Executive Director, Library Services, Western Sydney University
Our work
Inkfield was engaged to develop and facilitate a strategy co-design process to deliver a strategy grounded in real experience and aimed at shaping the Library’s priorities for the greatest impact.
Over 4 in-person workshop sessions, we facilitated conversations with more than 100 library staff from across all levels of the service. The sessions surfaced strategic tensions, explored opportunities, and helped staff reflect on the Library’s value, role and future.
We synthesised over 2,000 staff inputs and ideas from the workshops into strategic directions and possible initiatives, as well as the Library’s north star: their purpose, vision and mission statements.
4 days
100 Library team members
2,000+ inputs & ideas
Working closely with the Library’s leadership team, we facilitated online workshops and used a bespoke decision-making framework to prioritise and refine their strategic initiatives.
We then copywrote and designed the final strategy document, Library Reimagined: Strategy 2025–27. The Strategy also includes a new, easy-to-understand and visually appealing presentation of their service delivery model, developed by Inkfield.
The result is a clear and actionable plan that reflects the voices of staff, aligns with broader organisational priorities and positions the Library as a key partner in learning and teaching at Western Sydney University.
What our client said
Partnering with Inkfield has been a truly transformative experience for the library at Western Sydney University. Georgia Nielsen and Ruby Seaward not only brought deep expertise but also a personal style that was thoughtful, inclusive, and energising. Their ability to provoke meaningful dialogue, spark creativity, ensure every voice was heard, and stimulate genuine excitement about new ways of working was exceptional.
With Inkfield the workshop process was consistently engaging and inclusive. Uniquely, each session brought together staff who might not typically participate in strategic planning alongside senior leaders. This meant staff at all levels were brought into a shared conversation which enabled us to reimagine our work on a scale that would have been impossible without Georgia and Ruby’s guidance and facilitation.
Staff feedback about the strategy development process has been overwhelmingly positive.
The process has changed how we interact around strategy, making it more connected to individual roles and team goals, and more aligned with divisional and university-wide directions.
They approached strategy development not just as a planning exercise, but as a powerful communications effort – as a result our new Strategy provides future direction and works to elevate the visibility of our library services and partnerships across the institution.
Importantly, their capacity to conceptualise a service model that translates our strategic vision and is aligned with university priorities was invaluable.
The final Strategy document is something all staff are proud of – it’s professionally designed, clearly articulated, and has raised the level of professionalism across our team. It has also generated new enthusiasm for how we work, collaborate, and inhabit the library in a rapidly changing environment. Thanks to Inkfield we now have a Library Strategy that is aspirational and actionable. This outcome sets us up for continuous improvement, with a joined up sense of purpose and a renewed commitment to innovation.
— Fiona Salisbury, Executive Director, Library Services, Western Sydney University
Let’s partner
We're passionate about helping our clients develop strategies that are both meaningful and measurable - grounded in purpose, guided by clear priorities and supported by shared ownership.