Library organization plan, timeline announced
The new Harvard Library system will join individual libraries together into five affinity groups based on similar collection needs, content areas, or specialized activities, according to Provost Alan Garber, who unveiled the new organizational plan today. “The new Harvard Library structure, which emerged from deep analysis of the current system and consultations with the deans, faculty, and administrators across the libraries over the past year, is designed to clarify decision-making responsibilities throughout the system, deliver shared services as effectively as possible, and foster collaboration between libraries and with institutions beyond Harvard’s gates,” Garber said in a letter to the Harvard community. “This affinity group model maintains the individuality of the libraries while providing mechanisms for the cross-campus collaboration that the system needs for its strategic development and overall organizational effectiveness,” Garber said. The model also maintains the direct relationship between individual libraries and their Schools, while establishing a reporting responsibility to a group...