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The Office of Director of Libraries (a position originally called Chief Librarian) was responsible for the management of librarians and staff while also leading the development of library policy, coordination with other branches of the College, and generally providing for the administration of the libraries at each of the seven campuses by the end of the 1970s.

The library as a department within the College began in January 1970 with the appointment David R. Williams as Chief Librarian. By the end of the first academic year there were fully functioning libraries at the New Westminster, Richmond, and Surrey campuses. These libraries were housed in the modular, prefabricate buildings ubiquitous at Douglas College during its early years. The collection of books and other materials was originally processed through an agreement with Simon Fraser University. The library's first ten years were characterized by rapid growth as new campuses with libraries were opened in Coquitlam, Langley, and Surrey's Newton town centre. Library services were also available at the Maple Ridge campus and the Agnes Street annex in New Westminster. When Douglas College was "split" to create Kwantlen College, the library's collection and personnel were also divided between the two institutions. Williams went on to become the Vice-President of Kwantlen College and was succeeded as Director of Libraries by Virginia Chisholm.

In 1982, the Coquitlam and New Westminster libraries were amalgamated in the recently completed permanent campus at Royal Avenue in New Westminster. This roughly coincided with a reorganization in which the Department of Learning Resources was created to oversee the direction of both the library and Instructional Media Services (IMS).

Debbie Schachter served as the Director of Learning Resources at Douglas College from 2011 to 2017. Prior to joining the College, Schachter held administrative positions at the Vancouver Public Library and the B.C. Courthouse Library Society. She received a Master of Library Science (MLS) from the University of British Columbia in 1990 and a Management of Technology MBA from Simon Fraser University in 2002.

The Department of Arts and Humanities, formed in 1983, was previously known as the Department of Humanities for the academic year 1982-1983. Its title was changed to reflect the inclusion of both the Performing and Fine Arts courses, which included Theatre, Performance and Movement, Painting, Sculpting, and Drawing. The Department of Arts and Humanities retained its title from 1983 until a reorganization at the College created a new Faculty structure in 1997.

The Performing and Fine Arts courses were shifted to the Faculty of Language, Literature, and Performing Arts, while the courses in the Humanities and Social Sciences (Philosophy, History, Psychology) were moved to the new Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.

For the academic years 1986-1987, the Department of English and Communications was renamed to the Department of English and Basic Communications. It maintained the areas of study it was responsible for, including English speaking and reading skills, and Communications courses. The following academic year (1988), its name was reverted back to the Department of English and Communications, which it maintained until a restructuring of the College faculties in 1997.

The Department of English and Communications was created at the outset of Douglas College’s history in 1970, and was responsible for the administration, program design, and instruction of courses on English language speaking, writing, and reading skills, as well the performing arts (until 1972).

The department was chaired by several individuals during the years 1970-1996, including Robert W. Lowe (1971-1978), Howard Leslie Eaton (1982-1984), John Niel Fairlie (1984-1986), Maurice J. Hodgson (1988-1991), and Lorna McCallum (1991-1996). In 1986, it was renamed to Department of English and Basic Communications. In the following year (1987), the department reverted to its original title of Department of English and Communications, a title which it kept until 1997. In 1997, a restructuring of the college’s departments created the Faculty of Language, Literature, and Performing Arts, which included the Department of English and Communications.