Palfrey to Leave Harvard Law School

John G. Palfrey VII will leave his role as professor and head of the library at Harvard Law School to lead Phillips Academy, Andover.

John G. Palfrey

John G. Palfrey VII ’94, J.D. ’01, who heads the Harvard Law School (HLS) library and serves as a faculty co-director of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, will leave to become head of school at Phillips Academy, Andover, starting July 1.

Palfrey was executive director of the Berkman Center from 2002 to 2008, when he was named vice dean for library and information resources at HLS. At the law library, and beyond, he has been an exponent of change. His first act of reorganization there involved asking all the employees to hand in their resignations in order to receive new job assignments. As he told this magazine in 2010, he thought about the library’s mission less as “How do we build the greatest collection of books in law?” and more as “How do we make information as useful as possible to our community now and over a long period of time?” That focus on information services guided both personnel decisions and changes in collection strategies. Palfrey has also been involved in guiding change within the University-wide library system, and has been instrumental in incubating new technologies for use in libraries.

His work with Harvard’s libraries led to his involvement in the nascent attempts to build a national online library. Palfrey now chairs the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) steering committee, a role in which he will continue, by agreement with his new employer. In an e-mail to the DPLA mailing list, Sloan Foundation vice president for programs Doron Weber wrote that “John’s change in day-job will add a further sensibility toward K-12 issues to the project.” (The Sloan Foundation and the Arcadia Foundation are funding the development efforts of the DPLA.)

Palfrey’s departure will be a loss to the law school, where he has most recently been involved in its teaching and learning initiative, but will allow him to further his interests in the way young people interact with technology, the subject of his book Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives.

Sub topics

You might also like

Nieman Foundation Names Henry Chu as Interim Curator

Veteran LA Times journalist calls attention to press freedom

Harvard Can Continue Hosting International Students, Judge Says

Trump hints at a possible settlement with the University.

When Code Meets Canvas

In brushstrokes and bytes, a symposium at Harvard explores data, perception, and art.

Most popular

Trump Administration Alleges Harvard Violated Student Civil Rights

In a court filing, the University says government has ignored procedure to “inflict pain.”

John Goldberg named Dean of Harvard Law School

A professor at HLS since 2008, he steps up from the interim role.

House Committee Subpoenas Harvard Over Tuition Costs

The University must turn over all requested materials related to tuition and financial aid by mid-July. 

Explore More From Current Issue

David Leo Rice on 'The Berlin Wall'

David Leo Rice explores the strange, unseen forces shaping our world.

Julia Rooney’s Cyanotype Art At Harvard

Julia Rooney’s paintings cross the analog-digital divide.