Harvard's Library System to be Restructured

The intellectually extraordinary but decentralized system needs administrative, financial, and technological reorganization, according to the Task Force on University Libraries.

The University's sprawling yet intellectually extraordinary library system needs administrative, financial, and technological restructuring, according to an official Task Force on University Libraries. The traditionally decentralized system faces particular challenges in an environment that includes tighter budgets, shifting boundaries among academic disciplines, increased interdisciplinarity, and the destabilizing influence of the digital revolution.

The task force report makes five core recommendations: adoption of a shared administrative structure; improvement to information technology systems; changes to funding models and cost-sharing among the libraries, particularly with respect to offsite storage (45 percent of the collection is held in a depository); enhanced coordination of materials collection and especially access; and increased collaboration with other institutions. The comprehensive report also calls for the immediate formation of an implementation group, whose members were named in an accompanying letter from the task force chair, University provost Steven E. Hyman.

You might also like

A New Chapter for Harvard Arts

The Office for the Arts turns 50, and its longtime director steps down.

Education School Announces Interim Dean

Nonie Lesaux will serve as dean during the search for a new one.

Harvard Students form Pro-Palestine Encampment

Protesters set up camp in Harvard Yard.

Most popular

Harvard Students form Pro-Palestine Encampment

Protesters set up camp in Harvard Yard.

Harvard Medalists

Three people honored for extraordinary service to the University

A New Chapter for Harvard Arts

The Office for the Arts turns 50, and its longtime director steps down.

More to explore

What is the Best Breakfast and Lunch in Harvard Square?

The cafés and restaurants of Harvard Square sure to impress for breakfast and lunch.

How Homelessness is a Public Health Crisis

Homelessness has surged in the United States, with devastating effects on the public health system.

Portfolio Diet May Reduce Long-Term Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke, Harvard Researchers Find

A little-known diet improves cardiovascular health through several distinct mechanisms.