Harvard Library's new organization launched August 1 with few layoffs

The large number of early retirements has minimized layoffs.

Loker Reading Room in Widener Library

The new, leaner Harvard Library organization began operations on August 1. In January, protests had followed a town-hall meeting at which library workers learned of the possibility of an unspecified number of layoffs and internal job reassignments as part of the reorganization. Students later staged a sit-in at Lamont. In the end, library administrators announced, six staff members lost their jobs, while 65 opted to accept an early retirement package (almost a quarter of the 280 eligible individuals—those 55 or older with at least 10 years of Harvard service).

Those changes may be largely invisible to library users, unlike the new online Harvard Library portal—designed to improve access to information—that will launch in late August. Announced by Provost Alan Garber in a letter marking the transition to the new organizational structure, the portal is just one of numerous innovations under discussion, Garber reported. While noting that “change in any organization of this size and complexity is inherently difficult,” the provost expressed confidence that “the remarkable strengths of our libraries, and particularly the people who bring them to life, will allow us to build a Harvard Library that will set the standard now and in the future.”

Related topics

You might also like

Harvard President Alan Garber Helps First-Years Move In

As a potential settlement with the Trump administration looms, Garber gets students settled. 

Harvard’s New Online Orientation Emphasizes Intellectual Paths

A summer course for first-years focuses on academic success, diverse viewpoints.

Harvard in the News

University layoffs, professors in court, and a new Law School dean

Most popular

Shakespeare’s Greatest Rival

Without Christopher Marlowe, there might not have been a Bard.

How MAGA Went Mainstream at Harvard

Trump, TikTok, and the pandemic are reshaping Gen Z politics.

Harvard art historian Jennifer Roberts teaches the value of immersive attention

Teaching students the value of deceleration and immersive attention

Explore More From Current Issue

Vivian W. Rong sitting on bench outdoors.

Highlighting Harvard Magazine’s Fellows

The 2025-2026 Ledecky and Summer Undergraduate Fellows

People sit in lawn chairs near a rustic barn at Cider Garden in New Salem on a sunny day.

CiderDays Festival Celebrates All Things Apple

Visiting small-batch cideries and orchards in Massachusetts

Illustration of college students running under a large red "MAGA" hat while others look on with some skeptisim.

How MAGA Went Mainstream at Harvard

Trump, TikTok, and the pandemic are reshaping Gen Z politics.