Harrington said she feels the College library is more integrated into the academics of the College than the libraries of other colleges at which she has worked. "There wasn't any structural integration of the library into the program [at Vanderbilt]," she said. "I think here the librarian has the potential to be much more active."
Harrington has already started working on new projects to improve the library. She is working to foster relationships with faculty and students, communicating with individual organizations on campus and assessing the library's current technological capabilities. In addition, she is engaged in dialogue to develop several other programs such as an information literacy initiative to provide information about the resources the library has to offer.
Harrington hopes the library will be able to act as an educational and research resource for students and faculty for both research and independent study. "I think in general what we want to do as a liberal arts college is to create students who are good citizens, lifelong learners and contributors to society, [and] the library has the responsibility to contribute to that," she said. "I think the vision is that we will be a part of everything that's [happening] on campus. Rather than the library needing to be reactive, [it will be] proactive in taking the lead on informational issues. I'd like it to be busy and see students doing all sorts of things within it."
To achieve her vision for the College's library, Harrington is focusing on developing lines of communication between the library, students and faculty. She hopes the library can better communicate with students.
Harrington also hopes to modernize the library's physical facilities, add to the aesthetic appearance of the library, increase places for study and work, raise dialogue concerning an increase in library hours, expand computing resources and enlarge the library to provide room for expanded collections.
President Anthony Marx applauds Harrington's visions for the future. "I think we continue in a process that Sherre will now lead in thinking about the appropriate role of the library in the 21st century, how to make it a place where students come not only to do research but also to work together and also to study, a place that can continue to be the geographic and intellectual center of the campus," he said. "We are very fortunate to have someone with the energy and insight and personality that Sherre Harrington has in answerng that important question."
The social responsibility of a library is an important issue for Harrington. "One of the particular avenues I think this library could be a leader on is free access to information," she said.
One of Harrington's personal goals is to interact with students. "It's hard for me to see how you can be a librarian in a setting like this just being an administrator. I want to be a practitioner as well," she said. "I'm having a great time. I guess that's another goal, to have fun. It's exciting to be here."
Senior student member of the library committee Mira Serrill-Robins '06 said, "Sherre Harrington seems to be a great fit for the College. She has been quite responsive to students so far, and has encouraged a healthy dialogue about what the College libraries can do better. I'm sure we'll see real and positive change in the coming semesters, and maybe even by the end of this semester."