The Columbia University Libraries (CUL) Strategic Directions are an outcome of a process during the 2015-16 academic year with an extraordinary record of engagement with our constituency and with colleagues across the Libraries. In all, we convened more than a dozen Provost’s Advisory Committee on the Libraries meetings, two Student Library Advisory Committee meetings, thirteen Ear-to-the-Ground meetings for all CUL staff, and an All-Staff Gathering.  We had conversations with the Senate Libraries Committee and the Senate Student Affairs Committee, and we devoted more than half of our CUL Management Committee meetings to Strategic Directions discussion. Taken together, the comments of hundreds of staff, faculty, and students resulted in a rich outpouring of thought about CUL today as well as our ambitions for CUL's future. We thank all of our staff and constituencies for their enthusiastic interest and contributions to our Strategic Directions process and especially the following individuals and groups who were instrumental in the success of our yearlong process.

Executive Sponsor
John H. Coatsworth, Provost of Columbia University

Executive Team Leader
Ann D. Thornton, Vice Provost and University Librarian

Strategic Directions Process Lead
Carole Ann Fabian, Director, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library
Special Assistant to the University Librarian for Strategic Directions

Provost’s Advisory Committee on the Libraries (PACL)
PACL 2016 Strategic Directions Report
Jean Howard (Chair) George Delacorte Professor in the Humanities
Jonathon Amiel, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at CUMC, Associate Dean for Curricular Affairs, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Nolan Bensen, Graduate Student, East Asian Languages and Cultures
Barry Bergdoll, Meyer Schapiro Professor of Art History and Archaeology
Elizabeth Blackmar, Professor of History
Herbert Chase, Professor of Medicine (in Biomedical Informatics)
Whitney Cowell, PhD Candidate in Environmental Health Sciences
Andrew Dolkart, Professor of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation
Carol Gluck, George Sansom Professor of History
Richard John, Professor of History and Communications
Olatunde Johnson, Professor of Law
Soulaymane Kachani, Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning, Senior Vice Dean & Professor, Columbia Engineering
Laura Kaufman, Professor of Chemistry
Art Langer, Academic Director, Executive Master of Science in Technology Management
Elaine Larson, Associate Dean for Research, School of Nursing
Benjamin Makansi, Undergraduate Student, Columbia College
Robert McCaughey, Professor of History, Barnard College
Kathleen McKeown, Henry and Gertrude Rothschild Professor of Computer Science; Director, Institute for Data Science and Engineering
Amiel Melnick, PhD candidate, Dept. of Anthropology, GSAS
Victoria Rosner, Senior Associate Dean for the Postbaccalaureate Program & Academic Affairs
Brent Stockwell, Professor of Biological Sciences and Chemistry

Provost’s Advisory Committee on the Libraries (CUL Liaisons & Recorders)
Jeff Carroll, Robert T. Cartolano, Carole Ann Fabian, Anice Mills, Sean Quimby, Barbara Rockenbach, Margaret Smithglass, Jane Winland, Robert Wolven

Student Libraries Advisory Council
Arlena Camille McClenton, Atefeh Akbari Shahmirzadi, Lorenzo Gibson, Deidre Flowers, Ravi Jain Sinha, Saurabh Sandeep Runwal, Benjamin David Barton, Amritha Sai Musipatla, Andrea Michelle Crow, Alyssa Claire Greene, Nolan Bensen, Gabriel Zenon Bloomfield, Andrea Elyse Morrell, Megan Armstrong, Sam Goodman, Megan Julia Armstrong, Janine Ko, Caro Bratnober, Isabetl Mares, Mallory Lauren Shingle, Seth Stewart Williams

Columbia University Libraries Teams:

CUL Leadership Council
Gail Anderson, Nisa Bakkalbassi, Kelly Barrick, Jeff Carroll, Rob Cartalano, Jim Cheng, Stephen Davis, Carole Ann Fabian, Joel Fine, Janet Gertz, Pamela Graham, Kate Harcourt, Kris Kavanaugh, Joyce McDonough, Allison Morrow, Francie Mrkich, Mark Newton, Rina Pantalony, Sean Quimby, Barbara Rockenbach, Mark Wilson, Jane Winland, Breck Witte, Bob Wolven

Communications & Assessment
Nisa Bakkalbasi, Candice Kail, Abigail Lovell, Allison Morrow, Ted Goodman

Administrative Support
Sheniqua Larkin, Mimian Morales, Pat White

Strategic Directions Working Groups:
Diversity, Inclusion & Social Justice
Ian Beilin, Jennifer Brown, Yomari Chavez, Candice Kail, Joyce McDonough, Jeremiah Trinidad-Christensen
Respondent: Mimian Morales

Collection Development, Preservation & Management
Jeff Carroll, Emily Holmes, Sean Quimby, Socrates Silva, Alex Thurman, John Tofanelli
Respondent: Janet Gertz

Student Success
Insaf Ali, Anice Mills, Allison Morrow, Zak Rouse, Jane Winland
Respondent: Joel Fine

Research Support & Faculty Services
Ben Armintor, Nancy Friedland, Mark Newton, Ellie Ransom, Ignacio Sanchez
Respondent: Pamela Graham

Leadership & Collaboration
Kelly Barrick, Amber Billey, Jim Cheng, Rob Davis, Stephen Davis
Respondent: Breck Witte

Our Organization
Tara Das, Monica Espitia, Teresa Harris, John Lussier, Francie Mrkich, Rina Pantalony
Respondent: Mark Wilson

All-Staff Gathering Team:
Facilitators
Ben Armintor, Nisa Bakalbassi, Ian Beilin, Beth Bidlack, Amber Billey, Tara Das, Emily Homes, Joan Jocson-Singh, Hollyann Kozlowski, Brian Lucero, Russell Merritt, Francie Mrkich, Mark Newton, Rina Pantalony, Ellie Ransom, Zak Rouse, Mark Wilson

Planning
Beth Bidlack, Carole Ann Fabian, Francie Mrkich, Mark Newton, Rina Pantalony, Barbara Rockenbach, Ann Thornton, Mark Wilson, Jane Winland

Implementation
Kitty Chibnik, Melissa Goertzen, Candice Kail, Francie Mrkich, Mark Newton, Rina Pantalony, Margaret Smithglass, Janet Tam

Shipping & Receiving
Malcolm Scott, Robin Sanchez, Steve Hernandez, Milton Driffin

The “CUL Players”
Morgan Adams, Insaf Ali, Ian Beilin, Amber Billey, Stephen Breski, Jennifer Brown, Elizabeth Call, Michelle Chesner, Enerel Dambiinyam, Tara Das, Elizabeth Davis, Sarah Elman, Monica Espitia, Paula Gabbard, Alex Gil, Teri Harris, Lauran Hartley, Shelley Hayreh, Renata Karr, Jeremiah Trinidad-Christensen, Abigail Lovell, Mark Newton, Ellie Ransom, Socrates Silva Reyes, Nicole Richard,  Zak Rouse, Simone Sacchi, Bob Scott, Chengzhi Wang