“Carole Ann brings a deep background in fine arts and architecture librarianship as well as significant experience in fine arts digital publishing at an important moment for the library and the Avery Index,” said Jim Neal, Vice President for Information Services and University Librarian at Columbia University.

As Director of Avery Library, Fabian will lead collection development and user services programs, and in close collaboration with the Department of Art History and Archaeology, will provide guidance for Columbia University's Art Properties unit and the Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery. With more than 450,000 monographs, some 1,500 active serial titles, and substantial holdings of drawings and archives, the Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library is one of the premier repositories of its kind in the world.

"I am honored to join the Avery Library at this pivotal moment in its distinguished history,” said Fabian. “It is increasingly important in an evolving digital landscape to develop new directions for the pre-eminent Avery collections and expert services to be most broadly accessed, understood and made useful to the scholarly community. The Avery's expanded role in the production and publication of the Index is one example of ways in which the Avery continues its commitment to leadership in the field."

Fabian currently serves as Planning, Outreach and Communications Officer for ARTstor. She previously served as Director for Strategic Outreach and User Services at ARTstor, Director of the Educational Technology Center, Project Coordinator for UBdigit, and Arts & Humanities Librarian at the Architecture & Planning Library at the University of Buffalo, SUNY. Fabian holds a M.L.S. from the University at Buffalo, SUNY School of Information and Library Studies and a B.A. in Fine Art & Art History from the State University of New York at Oswego.

The Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library is one of the most comprehensive collections relating to architecture and the fine arts in the world. Avery collects a full range of primary and secondary sources for the advanced study of architecture, historic preservation, art history, decorative arts, city planning, real estate, and archeology. The Library contains more than 400,000 volumes, including 35,000 rare books, and receives approximately 1,000 periodicals. Avery’s Drawings and Archives collection includes one million architectural drawings and records.

Columbia University Libraries/Information Services is one of the top five academic research library systems in North America. The collections include over 10 million volumes, over 100,000 journals and serials, as well as extensive electronic resources, manuscripts, rare books, microforms, maps, graphic and audio-visual materials. The services and collections are organized into 25 libraries and various academic technology centers. The Libraries employs more than 550 professional and support staff. The website of the Libraries at www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb is the gateway to its services and resources.