The Connectors

When Millie González, MLIS, arrived at New York Institute of Technology in February 2025 as dean of libraries, she stepped into a newly created role that had been envisioned as part of the university’s strategic plan for its libraries.

But her first step wasn’t to tackle the plan she’d inherited. Instead, she did something quieter. She listened.

“My intention really was to understand the university, get to know the people, get to know my staff, and understand university priorities,” she says.

What followed was months of conversation and research. González met with faculty and staff across campuses. She observed how students used library spaces and resources. She studied how they navigated the website. And she conducted what she calls “homework,” benchmarking New York Tech’s libraries against those of R2 polytechnic universities and reviewing strategic plans to identify gaps and opportunities.

The result is the updated New York Institute of Technology Libraries Strategic Plan 2025-2028, a road map that positions the libraries not just as study spaces or collections, but as catalysts for student success and research excellence.

At the heart of the revised plan is a phrase González embraced almost immediately: the libraries as “the connectors.”