During their April meeting, the University of Michigan Regents extended Paul N. Courant's appointment as University Librarian and Dean of Libraries. Courant, originally appointed in 2007, will continue to serve in these two positions until August 31, 2013.
Courant is a highly regarded leader in library development, digitization, and publishing. As Provost and Executive Vice-President for Academic Affairs from 2002-05, Courant negotiated the well-publicized and often debated book-scanning project between Google and the University of Michigan.
In a statement announcing Courant's appointment, Provost Phil Hanlon said, "Under Paul Courant's effective leadership, the University of Michigan Library has become more efficient as well as grown in stature. His work on the scholarly publishing system, the economics of libraries and archives, and the impact of new information technologies has had international influence on academic and research libraries."
At the Ford School, Courant teaches the undergraduate-level public policy introductory course (PubPol 201) called "Systematic thinking about the problems of the day."