Harvard Library Recruitment Update

MAY 15, 2012—Sixteen new Library positions were recently filled and recruitment continues for two. Three searches were reopened, two roles were placed on hold and two new positions were posted.

Call for Participation—Access Services Process Mapping

MAY 15, 2012—Matthew Sheehy invites Library staff members to participate in Access Services business process mapping.

Speaker Series Continues with "Digital Transofrmations of Research"

MAY 15, 2012—Ralph Schroeder and Eric Meyer of the Oxford Internet Institute will discuss the far-reaching effects of digital tools and data shared via electronic networks.

New York Review of Books: In Defense of the New York Public Library

MAY 15, 2012—Robert Darnton, University Librarian and Library Board member, comments on proposed changes to the NYPL.

Library Early Retirement Program Concludes

MAY 8, 2012—The Library provides an update on the 2012 Library VERIP.

Harvard Library Board Resolution

MAY 8, 2012—Read a resolution on the Transition from the Harvard Library Board.

Library Announces Several New Staff Appointments

MAY 8, 2012—The Library welcomes 11 new staff members.

Student Bibliophiles Recognized

MAY 7, 2012—The winners of the Visiting Committee Prize for Undergraduate Book Collection were recognized at a reception hosted by Susan Fliss, Associate Librarian of Harvard College for Research, Teaching, and Learning and Interim Librarian of Harvard College.

New E-Resources Available in April

MAY 4, 2012—The Harvard Library added 60 new resources.

Library Launches Student Engagement Pilot Project

MAY 1, 2012—The Tell Us pilot—the first project of the Student and Faculty Library User Initiative—will launch on May 2.

Harvard Library Names Two to New Positions

MAY 1, 2012—Brenda Bernier and Jennifer Goldstein will join the Harvard Library team.

Daily Princetonian: Column on Journal Pricing

MAY 1, 2012—Read "Prestige and Open Sources."

Boston Globe: Harvard Panel Pushes Benefits of Free Journals

APR 28, 2012—The Globe's take on the Faculty Advisory Council's memo on journal costs.

Atlantic: Harvard vs. Yale: Open-Access Publishing Edition

APR 27, 2012—The Atlantic draws comparisons between the open-access policies of Harvard and Yale.

eCampus News on the on the Journal Pricing Issue

APR 27, 2012—Read "Harvard, After Spending $3.7m on Academic Journals, Pushes for Open Research."

The Australian: Journals Too Expensive, Go Open Access: Harvard Decree

APR 27, 2012—Read coverage of the Faculty Advisory Council's memo from The Australian.

Harvard Crimson: Harvard Library Will Make 12 Million Records Available to the Public

APR 25, 2012—The Crimson's story on Harvard's release of library records. 

Library Journal: Harvard Releases Metadata into Public Domain

APR 24, 2012—Library Journal covers the Harvard record release story on The Digital Shift. 

Guardian: Harvard University Says It Can't Afford Journal Publishers' Prices

APR 24, 2012—Read the Guardian's story on the memo from the Faculty Advisory Council.

On the Media: Harvard Library: Subscribing to Academic Periodicals Is Too Expensive

APR 24, 2012—Read coverage of the Faculty Advisory Council's statement.

The New York Times Covers Harvard Record Release, "Harvard Releases Big Data for Books"

APR 24, 2012—Read The New York Times story on Harvard's release of nearly 100% of its library records. 

Inside Higher Ed: Panel Questions Harvard Library's Journal Spending

APR 24, 2012—Read coverage of the Faculty Advisory Council's recommendation from Inside Higher Ed. 

Harvard Library Makes Millions of Records Publicly Available

APR 24, 2012—Harvard released nearly 100% of its records—more than 12 million from 73 libraries.

BoingBoing Post on Harvard's Journal-Pricing Memo

APR 23, 2012—Cory Doctorow covers the statement from the Faculty Advisory Council.

Chronicle of Higher Education Article on Faculty Advisory Council Memo 

APR 23, 2012—Read "Harvard Library Committee Urges Open Access"

The Atlantic Covers Faculty Advisory Council Memo on Journal Pricing

APR 23, 2012—Read "Harvard Now Spending Nearly $3.75 Million on Academic Journal Bundles"

Revealing Letter on "Unusual" Supreme Court Clerk Nominee 

APR 23, 2012—A letter of recommendation to Chief Justice Earl Warren in the Law Library collection provides insight on women in the legal profession.

Baker Library Receives Doriot Papers

APR 23, 2012—HBS Professor Georges Doriot was a founding father of the venture capital industry.

Library Journal: Journal Pricing Is an "Untenable Situation Facing the Harvard Library"

APR 20, 2012—Library Journal covers the Faculty Advisory Council's recommentdation on journal pricing.

"The Armenians and the Book" Exhibit at Lamont Library

APR 19, 2012—"The Armenians and the Book" exhibit resulted from collaboration between a Harvard professor, Library staff and the community.

Clark Among Winners of Plein Air Poetry Contest

APR 19, 2012—HCL Environmental Research Librarian George Clark recognized for his poem, "A Tentative Psalm." 

Schlesinger "Tenacious Women" Exhibit to Run Through September

APR 18, 2012—The exhibit features the life and work of four women who were dedicated to democratic change and expanding the rights and freedoms of women and all Americans.

Library Tech to Join HUIT on April 20

APR 17, 2012—Harvard University Information Technology will officially welcome staff from the Office of Information Systems and HCL Library Information Technology Services to its team this week.

Memorandum from the Faculty Advisory Council

APR 17, 2012—The Library Faculty Advisory Council shares a memorandum on major periodical subscriptions.

New Library Technology Testing at Cabot

APR 17, 2012—A Samsung SUR40 for Microsoft Surface and Library Explorer software debuted at Cabot this month.

Library Staff Invited to Innovation Unconference

APR 16, 2012—The Harvard Library Innovation Initiative welcomes all Library staff at an Innovation Unconference scheduled for May 1.

Lamont Open 24/7 for Reading Period and Exams

APR 11, 2012—Lamont will stay open 24/7 as part of a pilot to explore longer permanent hours during reading period and exams each semester.

Thomson Reuters InCites Available May 1

APR 11, 2012—The Office of the Provost is funding a two-year University-wide subscription to inCites, and training sessions will be held on May 1 and 2.

WXQR Names Loeb Virtual Score Collection Among "Top Five Digital Archive Projects"

APR 11, 2012—Loeb Library is recognized as at the forefront in establishing enviable collections of freely-available manuscripts on the Web.

Project Update: Library User Experience Initiative

APR 10, 2012—Read details on the project's first initiative--Student User Voice.

Recruitment Update: Access Services

APR 10, 2012—Matthew Sheehy, Head of Access Services, welcomes feedback on finalists for Access Services positions.

Staff Invited to ITS Meet and Greets

APR 10, 2012—Scott Wicks, Head of Technical Services, invites Library staff to meet finalists for two ITS positions.

Save the Date: Innovation Unconference

APR 10, 2012—An Innovation Unconference on creating a culture of innovation in the Harvard Library is scheduled for May 1.

New E-Resources Available in March

APR 6, 2012—The Harvard Library added 17 new resources.

Early Photography of Japan Launched

APR 6, 2012—Early Photography of Japan is an online scholarly resource of hundreds of hand-colored albumen prints of Japan by pioneering photographers.

Bob Darnton Remarks Featured in Library Journal Article

APR 4, 2012—Darnton delivered the 25th annual Horace S. Manges Lecture at Columbia Law School, entitled "Digitize, Democratize: Libraries and the Future of Books."

Project Update: New Library Portal

APR 3, 2012—Details on this key Library initiative are shared, and Library staff are invited to participate in the project.

Acquisitions, Collection Development, Electronic Resources Staff Invited to ITS Finalist Meet and Greets

APR 3, 2012—Scott Wicks invites staff who work in Acquisitions, Electronic Resources and/or Collection Development to attend a Meet and Greet with finalists for the Head of Acquisitions for ITS.    

Woodberry Curator Davis Receives Poetry Prize

APR 3, 2012—Woodberry Poetry Room Curator Christina Davis was awarded the 8th Annual Nightboat Poetry Prize.    

University Librarian Robert Darnton Featured in Publishers Weekly Article

APR 3, 2012—Read about Bob Darnton's remarks on the DPLA and his commitment to its launch.    

Widener Librarian Publishes Paper

APR 2, 2012—Lev Chaban, Slavic Librarian for Widener Library, published an article in Studien zu Sprache, Literatur und Kultur bei den Slaven.    

Library Board Member Stuart Shieber House Testimony Quoted in Chronicle of Higher Education

MAR 28, 2012—Stuart Shieber, the James O. Welch, Jr. and Virginia B. Welch Professor of Computer Science, testified on open access to scholarly research before a House subcomittee. 

University Librarian Robert Darnton Interviewed on Digital Public Library of America

MAR 28, 2012—Bob Darnton discusses the DPLA, which is scheduled to launch next year.

Library Recruitment Update

MAR 27, 2012—Recruitment is underway for 20 new Library roles, and staff are invited to attend finalist presentations.

Library Welcomes New Team Members

MAR 27, 2012—Mike Barker, Heather Caldwell and Bill Comstock were named to positions in the new Harvard Library.

"Owners and Donors" Rare Book Exhibit Opens at Countway's Center for the History of Medicine

MAR 21, 2012—"Owners and Donors: Building the Rare Book Collection at the Countway Library of Medicine" honors individuals and families whose contributions enhanced Countway's rare book collections. 

Countway Center for the History of Medicine Acquires Nobel Laureate's Papers

MAR 21, 2012—The Center acquired the papers of Dr. Thomas H. Weller, who received the Nobel Prize with two others in 1954 for discovering how to grow the polio virus in culture.

Harvard Library Project Update

MAR 20, 2012—A summary of current Library initiatives, and the teams working on each project.

Library Staff Invited to Join Interview Panels

MAR 13, 2012—The Harvard Library invites staff members to participate in recruitment of Shared Service roles by joining interview panels.

New Transition Workshops Scheduled

MAR 13, 2012—"Charting Your Course in Uncertain Times" shares practical tools for analyzing the challenges and opportunities inherent in times of uncertainty and change.

Brenda Bernier of Library's Weissman Center in Harvard Innovation Video

MAR 13, 2012—Brenda Bernier, acting head of the Weissman Preservation Center, discusses technologies used to protect and preserve the Library's resources in a series on innovation at Harvard.

Zittrain and Wones to Lead Harvard Law School Library

MAR 8, 2012—The Harvard Library congratulates Jonathan Zittrain '95 and Suzanne Wones, who will take over the leadership of the Harvard Law School Library this summer.

Speaker Series Continues with Session on Open Access

MAR 6, 2012—"From Here to Open Access: Ways to Get It Done" with Stuart Shieber, Terry Fisher, Heather Joseph, Mark Patterson and Peter Suber is scheduled for March 30.

Harvard Library to Deposit Additional Volumes in HathiTrust

MAR 6, 2012—The Harvard Library will deposit approximately 200,000 public-domain volumes in HathiTrust, following its original deposit of 53,000 volumes in 2011.

Sessions with Heads of Shared Services

MAR 5, 2012—Matthew Sheehy (Access Services), Scott Wicks (Information and Technical Services) and Franziska Frey (Preservation and Digital Imaging Services) will discuss the new Shared Service organization and take questions in a series of sessions starting this week.

New E-Resources Available in February

MAR 5, 2012—The Harvard Library added nine new resources.

Helping Scholars Find Library Nooks

MAR 1, 2012—Ann-Marie Costa, head of library billing and privileges for Widener and Lamont Libraries, oversaw the creation of Inscriptio, a new computer system that simplifies carrel assignments.

Darnton Discusses Future of Libraries

FEB 29, 2012—Despite a number of obstacles, the Digital Public Library of America, an open-access digital library, is projected to launch in April 2013, making the United States's cultural heritage available worldwide, according to University Librarian Robert Darnton, who spoke at Dartmouth college on Monday.

New Harvard Library Positions Announced

FEB 28, 2012—A number of new roles that provide opportunities to contribute to the design of the new Harvard Library were posted today, and preference will be given to internal candidates during the hiring process.

Dean's Distinction Awards Honor HCL's Hussein, Kornilowicz, and Sheridan

FEB 28, 2012—The award honors the highest-achieving FAS staff members, whose critical contributions and skillful collaboration are deemed to have delivered outstanding results for the FAS in 2011.

Divinity's Bradford Writes for Cambridge Library Group

FEB 28, 2012—Michael Bradford of the Andover-Harvard Theological Library contributed to the Cambridge Library Group's newsletter.

Harvard Library Affinity Group Heads Selected

FEB 24, 2012—Five senior librarians were selected to serve as the first Affinity Group Heads: Leslie Donnell, Lynne Schmelz, Dan Hazen, Ann Baird Whiteside and Megan Sniffin-Marinoff.

Library 2012 Voluntary Early Retirement Incentive Program (VERIP) Information Posted

FEB 15, 2012—Program details and FAQ have been posted to HARVie.

New Collection Development Listserv

FEB 15, 2012—A new discussion list has been created for Harvard library staff with an interest in collection development.

Robert Darnton Receives National Humanities Medal

FEB 13, 2012—President Barack Obama today presented one of nine 2011 National Humanities Medals to Harvard's Carl H. Pforzheimer University Professor and University Librarian Robert Darnton.

Provost Garber's Letter on the Library Transition

FEB 10, 2012—Provost Alan Garber shares the new Library organizational design and strategic direction.

President Faust's Reflections on the Future of the Harvard Library

FEB 8, 2012—President Drew Gilpin Faust shares why changes to Harvard libraries are imperative. 

New E-Resources Available in January

FEB 7, 2012—The Harvard Library added 17 new resources.

Geospatial Library Offers Seamless Access to GIS Repositories

FEB 6, 2012—HGL's cloud-based platform enables simultaneous search and access to new and increased data.

Conservation of Jane Austen Letters Featured in Harvard Gazette

FEB 2, 2012—The Weissman Preservation Center's work on two Houghton treasures is highlighted in this article.

Update from the Senior Associate Provost and the Executive Director

JAN 31, 2012—Mary Lee Kennedy and Helen Shenton share a summary of the History in Objects tours, additional information on Employee Profiles and an update on Library news and upcoming events.

Harvard Judaica Division Publications Now Online

JAN 30, 2012—Approximately 100 Judaica publications were posted in preparation for the Division's 50th anniversary.

Transition Update from the Senior Associate Provost and the Executive Director

JAN 24, 2012—Mary Lee Kennedy and Helen Shenton share information on Employee Profiles and related FAQ, additional Employee Profile Workshops, an update on the Library's e-reader program and upcoming Library events.

Harvard Library eReader Pilot Program Launched

JAN 23, 2012—Readers will be available at four libraries and are loaded with 50 popular and new-release titles.

Library Town Hall Presentation, January 19, 2012

JAN 20, 2012—Mary Lee Kennedy and Helen Shenton shared immediate next steps in the Library Transition.

Spring Semester Community Conversations Scheduled

JAN 17, 2012—Community Conversations are intended to provide an ongoing opportunity for staff to ask questions about the transition to a new Harvard Library.

Houghton's Bronte Juvenilia Featured in Harvard Magazine

JAN 17, 2012—Harvard's alumni magazine covered miniature manuscripts created by the Bronte children, part of the Harvard Library collection.

Foundation for the History of Women in Medicine Offers Fellowship

JAN 10, 2012—The Fellowship will support research conducted at the Center for the History of Medicine.

Update from the Senior Associate Provost and the Executive Director

JAN 10, 2012—Mary Lee Kennedy and Helen Shenton provide a reminder of the Library Town Hall meetings, and share information on the e-reader pilot program and other Library news.

Harvard Library Town Hall Meetings Scheduled

JAN 6, 2012—As the Library shifts from the Transition Design Phase to the Implementation Phase, Mary Lee Kennedy and Helen Shenton will provide updates.

Harvard Law Library Blog Highlights New Reformacion

JAN 6, 2012—Et Seq., the Harvard Law Library blog, featured a legal text from Nuremberg printed in 1484.

Schlesinger Library Culinary Collection Featured by 90.0 WBUR

JAN 6, 2012—The Schlesinger Library's wide collection of historical culinary works includes the first cookbook published by a woman, Julia Child's papers and other treasures. 

Weinberger's New Book Excerpted by The Atlantic

JAN 5, 2012—An excerpt from Too Big to Know by David Weinberger of the Library Lab and the Berkman Center ran in the The Atlantic.

Weinberger of the Harvard Library Lab Interviewed by CBC

DEC 22—Weinberger discussed ShelfLife and LibraryCloud.

New Managing Director of Academic Technology Services Announced

DEC 20—The managing director will lead academic computing services for faculty and students, develop an information technology foundation for innovation in pedagogy and foster collaboration between research, educational and library technologies.

Preservation in the Harvard Library: An Unconference Scheduled

DEC 20—All Library staff and interested faculty and students are invited to this creative, informal and interactive discussion workshop.

Harvard Film Archive Receives Awards from Boston Society of Film Critics

DEC 20—The Harvard Film Archive was recognized with seven awards in the Best Film Series and Best Rediscoveries categories.

Holiday Greeting from the Harvard Library

DEC 15—The Harvard Library wishes you and yours a delightful holiday and a wonderful new year.

Widener Library One of 25 Most Beautiful College Libraries in the World

DEC 14—Flavorwire featured Widener Library on its list of the 25 most beautiful college libraries.

Update from the Senior Associate Provost

DEC 13—Mary Lee Kennedy shares the Library Information Technology Roadmap, library-wide news and information on upcoming events.

Harvard Library Launches Universal Circulation

DEC 12—A change to circulation policy will allow items to be renewed at any participating library rather than only at the owning library.

Preservation and Digital Imaging Services Open House Scheduled

DEC 12—Franziska Frey, the Malloy-Rabinowitz Preservation Librarian, invites all to celebrate the end of the year at an open house at three facilities.

New Harvard Library Leadership Featured in Gazette

DEC 9—The new Harvard Library leadership team was featured in an article in the Harvard Gazette.

Tudesco and Miller Receive HCL 2011 Ishimoto Award

DEC 8, 2011—Sarah Tusdesco and Jindra Miller were honored with the 2011 Carol Ishimoto Award for Distinguished Service, which recognizes a member or group of the professional staff who has advanced the mission of the library through exceptional contributions and leadership.

Judaica Division Receives $1M Gift from David B. Keidan, Class of 1966

DEC 8, 2011—David B. Keidan, Class of 1966, gave the donation on the occasion of his 45th Harvard College Reunion.

Update from the Executive Director

DEC 6, 2011—Helen Shenton shares the selection process and timeline for Affinity Group Heads, an update on Critical Activities, the "History in Objects" tours, library-wide news and upcoming events.

Chronicle of Higher Education Features Library Lab Project

DEC 6, 2011—Teaching with Highbrow, a project created by Reinhard Engels in the Library Lab, was covered in a CHE blog.

Library Lab Supports 13 New Projects

DEC 5, 2011—The Harvard Library Lab selected 13 new proposals to fund and extended funding for five continuing projects.

Strategy Development Program "History in Objects" Tours Announced

DEC 2, 2011—The Library Strategy Development Program announced the December schedule for its "History in Objects" project tours.

Herbaria Featured in the Crimson

DEC 2, 2011—A profile of Asa Gray, his work and the Gray Herbarium.

Countway Library Center and Museum Featured on WCVB-TV's Chronicle HD

NOV 29, 2011—Artifacts and preparations from the Center for the History of Medicine and the Warren Museum at Countway Medical Library were showcased in a segment on unique findings along Boston's Huntington Avenue.

Update from the Senior Associate Provost

NOV 29, 2011—Mary Lee Kennedy shares information on the Library's role in supporting digital scholarship, the Library Web portal and upcoming events.

Meet Cooper, Countway Library Therapy Dog

NOV 29, 2011—In June 2011, Countway Medical Library welcomed a new staff member, Cooper the therapy dog.

Chair Yoga for Librarians Scheduled

NOV 29, 2011—These informal sessions meet Tuesdays from 12:30-1pm.

Cataloging Listserve Created

NOV 29, 2011—The goal of HLcat-List is to foster communication and information exchange between catalogers in the Harvard Library.

Update from the Executive Director

NOV 22, 2011—Helen Shenton shares final Affinity Group memberships, an update on library personnel and news about upcoming events.

Final Affinity Group Memberships Announced

NOV 22, 2011—Memberships in Affinity Groups were finalized following the 45 day consultation period.

Update on Widener Library Fire

NOV 21, 2011—On Friday, November 18 in Widener Library, a short-circuit in an electrical panel triggered a fire alarm and building evacuation. The fire was extinguished quickly and there was no smoke damage.

From Fireproof Storage to Information Commons

NOV 21, 2011—In a Bibliotheca class, David Lamberth, Matthew Sheehy and Michael Barker will discuss library design considerations from the past and into the future.

Presentation and Discussion on the Design of Libraries Announced

NOV 21, 2011—In a Bibliotheca class session, principals from William Rawn Associates will discuss library design.

Law Library Announces Discussion on Intellectual Property Strategy

NOV 18, 2011—The Harvard Law School Library announced a discussion with John Palfrey, who will discuss his new book and demonstrate the iPad version.

Excellence in Service Award Winners Named by HCL

NOV 16, 2011—This year’s award winners are Ann-Marie Costa, Tim Gray, Michael Grossman, Ann Heintz, Shirleyann Holcombe and Jay MacIntyre.

Preservation and Digital Imaging Services Open Session Scheduled

NOV 16, 2011—All Library staff are invited to an open session to consider opportunities and possibilities related to services in preservation, conservation and digital imaging. It will be held on November 21 from 9:30-11:30am.

Update from the Senior Associate Provost

NOV 15, 2011—Mary Lee Kennedy shares plans on a collective effort to develop a strategy for the Harvard Library.

Update from the Executive Director

NOV 8, 2011—Helen Shenton discusses Affinity Groups, recent work in Shared Services, the Library's collaboration with the HathiTrust, and some upcoming events.

Technical Services Open Session Scheduled

NOV 4, 2011—This meeting will allow participants to suggest and discuss as many ideas for technical services operational enhancements as possible from a collection development perspective. 

HathiTrust Brown Bag Lunch Announced

NOV 4, 2011—All Library staff are invited to learn more about the HathiTrust and Harvard's collaboration with it at a brown bag lunch on December 2, noon to 1pm, room 021, 90 Mt. Auburn St.

Update from the Executive Director

NOV 1, 2011—Helen Shenton discusses the Library's Shared Services and includes information on upcoming Library events.

Hauser Fund Grants Announced

NOV 1, 2011—Hauser Fund Grants will provide support to cultivate and advance learning and teaching innovations across Harvard's schools. Library staff members are encouraged to apply.

Access Services Focus Groups Announced

OCT. 27, 2011—Matthew Sheehy, Head of Access Services, invites Library staff to participate in a Focus Group on Access Services.

Update from the Executive Director

OCT. 25, 2011—Helen Shenton today provided staff with an update about the Harvard Library Transition, which included information about the senior leadership team, key points in the transition, the new Affinity Group structure, Access Services, and the ongoing 'Community Conversations' forums.

Series of Open Forums for Staff Announced

OCT. 7, 2011—A new series of "Community Conversations" hosted by Mary Lee Kennedy and Helen Shenton will be open to all Library staff. 

Letter from Provost Alan Garber

SEPT. 28, 2011—In a message to the University, Alan Garber shares news about an important milestone in the transition to the new Harvard Library.