1
Mission and Values
While OLS was established to serve an important need in service to CUNY Libraries, its mission and values were not specifically articulated. As part of this planning process, the OLS team developed the following mission and values statements as guiding concepts for all aspects of our work.
Mission
OLS leads information access and knowledge creation.
Values
Four values underscore all aspects of OLS’s work:
- Support. Our primary leadership role is in service to campuses, actively supporting and advocating for CUNY Libraries’ shared needs. This includes supporting reliable and efficient services, platforms and resources; professional development and training that keep us at the cutting edge of emerging trends; and standards and policies that set a common bar for excellence.
- Collaboration. Libraries are inherently connectors. We build CUNY library capacity to collaborate, which drives change at library, campus and community levels.
- Openness. Libraries make information accessible and affordable to everyone. We believe knowledge should be distributed openly and without restriction, and support its local and global distribution as a public good.
- Diversity/Equity/Inclusion. CUNY brings higher education to all New Yorkers, and CUNY Libraries break down structural barriers to student success, ensuring fair access to resources and equitable knowledge creation and exchange that fosters an informed citizenry and builds on CUNY’s greatest strength: the diversity of its students, staff, and faculty.
