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Librarian, educator, and artist Mustafa Sakarya will take the reins as Library Director at Sarah Lawrence College on December 6, 2021.
“Mustafa’s vision of the library as a central space for creation resonates perfectly with Sarah Lawrence’s focus on co-creation of knowledge, which is the foundation of our education,” said Kanwal Singh, Provost and Dean of Faculty. “I am delighted that he will be bringing his vision to us.”
Sakarya most recently served as Director of Library at Purchase College, where, among other achievements, he co-authored Purchase’s first Open Access Policy, co-chaired the Middle States writing team for Standard IV for accreditation, and, as part of the Purchase College President’s Integrated Planning Council, promoted strategic planning, assessment, and collaboration across the college.
Prior to Purchase, Sakarya served as director of the Mercy College libraries for nearly a decade. Highlights of his work at Mercy include leading a total transformation of Mercy’s largest library into a learning commons and developing a modern service and space model for the library at Mercy’s new Manhattan campus. His work at Mercy helped diversify and expand library services toward new modes of learning and creating, such as 3D printing and makerspaces.
A digital storytelling instructor, Sakarya partnered with Mercy’s Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning to help develop a vibrant digital storytelling learning community that crossed arts, sciences, education, and allied health disciplines and led to creation of The Digi’s, an annual screening, discussion, and celebration of outstanding student stories.
As Library Director at SLC, Sakarya will oversee the Esther Raushenbush Library, the College Archives, the Visual Resources Library, and the Music Library, managing and developing the talented staff and outstanding resources in these areas.
Sakarya brings to Sarah Lawrence a clear vision: “I see the academic library as an incubator and scholarly workshop for ideas and solutions, where students create new knowledge with innovative tools and acquire a range of research and digital skills.”
Sakarya holds a BA in English from Cornell University, a Masters in Library Science from Pratt Institute, and a Masters in English from Mercy College. He has published and presented extensively on digital storytelling and the library space.