Yale University Library

Mission, Vision, and Strategic Directions Yale University Library is made up of 500 staff, more than a dozen libraries and locations, vast physical collections, and extensive electronic resources. All these elements are animated and connected by technology and expertise in the service of teaching, learning, research, and practice. Yale Library’s unique collections, amassed over three centuries and widely used in teaching, are a distinctive feature of a Yale education, together with the collections of Yale’s museums. In continuing to build and steward these collections, we have made a commitment to help preserve and disseminate human knowledge, and to find new ways to make our collections accessible to the Yale community and beyond. Our shared work is driven by Yale Library’s mission, vision, and strategic directions. Our staff also contribute and collaborate widely across the library profession, including through many professional associations and memberships. We have made a deep organizational commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we have developed library staff values to set the tone for our collaborative work, communication, and interactions with library users. Yale Library patrons and visitors are invited to embrace and practice these values in community with us. We are committed to recruiting, developing, and retaining a diverse and inclusive staff community, who interact with integrity and mutual respect. Learn about employment opportunities at Yale Library. Mission We advance teaching, research, learning, and practice through staff expertise, diverse collections, inclusive programs and services, and welcoming spaces. Vision We aspire to be a catalyst for individual and societal growth. We will foster a culture of curiosity and discovery to advance the University’s mission. We will commit attention and resources to address systemic inequities by making knowledge more broadly available. Strategic Directions 1. Cultivate community. Build and sustain a diverse and inclusive library community that fosters personal growth and a sense of belonging for library staff and users alike. Embed support and welcome for diverse identities and cultural experiences in our actions and discourse. Ensure our collections, programs, spaces, and services reflect our commitment to diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion. 2. Focus on service to library users. Center the needs and goals of library users in the ongoing development of our physical and online environments, instruction, and services. Continuously assess and improve the library experience of students, faculty, researchers, practitioners, and visitors. 3. Ensure broad access to the scholarly and cultural record. Build and sustain collections that inspire research and teaching, stimulate new knowledge and creativity, and preserve a diverse record of human experience and scholarship. Innovate and collaborate as responsible stewards of intellectual heritage. Make collections more open and accessible. 4. Accelerate the creation of new knowledge. Expand access to research and scholarship to accelerate discovery and amplify research outcomes. Evolve services for digital humanities, data science, and computational scholarship to support research innovation and knowledge production. Develop programs to inspire curiosity and engage broader audiences. 5. Catalyze student success. Spark student innovation, intellectual development, and creativity with technology-rich services, supportive spaces and staff, and opportunities for experiential learning and knowledge production. Partner with faculty and other Yale colleagues to enrich student research and information skills.