Viewfinder Case Study: Organizational values inventory

Abstract

The Colgate University Libraries leadership team piloted the Viewfinder Exercise as a foundation for building shared organizational values around AI integration and informing the libraries’ strategic plan. Working through scenario-based prompts and stakeholder perspectives, participants surfaced core values such as trust, human-centeredness, and service quality, while also confronting difficult questions about institutional statements, role-based assumptions, and where the libraries may need to stand firm as AI reshapes the field. The exercise proved most valuable not as a decision-making instrument but as a generative conversation starter, revealing unspoken assumptions and tensions that rarely surface in routine project planning. Key lessons included the importance of early-stage implementation, non-supervisory facilitation of discussions, and treating Viewfinder’s value bank as a living, organization-specific resource rather than a fixed menu.