Martha Whitehead Appointed Harvard Librarian

Martha Whitehead, librarian of Queen’s University in Ontario since 2011 and vice provost there since 2014, has been appointed Harvard University librarian, vice president for the Harvard Library, and Larsen librarian for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, effective in June. She succeeds Sarah Thomas, who retired at the end of 2018, concluding five years of service.

Provost Alan Garber, who made the announcement, said in the University news release, “The library is one of Harvard’s greatest jewels. Martha recognizes that it is a uniquely valuable resource to our students, researchers, other members of the Harvard community, and to the world. She is singularly qualified to take this institution to the next level.”

According to the release, Whitehead fostered digital-research infrastructure, supported new services in scholarly publishing and copyright advising, and led the planning and implementation of Portage, a shared national library-based data-management network for research. At Harvard, she will lead more than two dozen libraries, which have more than 700 staff members. She said:

I am thrilled to be joining Harvard, where the library and the University’s mission are so interwoven, and where there is such a rich legacy to build upon. I look forward to stewarding Harvard’s extraordinary collections, as well as helping the library play a critical role in the global digital landscape. I’m honored to be entrusted with leading the library forward during this complex period in the information realm.

Read the University announcement here.