logoAbout HCL

About the Harvard College Library

Founded in 1638, Harvard has a rich legacy of libraries that continues into the 21st century.  In total there are over 70 libraries at Harvard that comprise the Harvard library system, with combined holdings of over 16 million items. More than 11 million of those items are part of the collection of a centrally administered unit within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences that is referred to as the Harvard College Library (HCL). It is comprised of Widener, Lamont, Birkhoff Mathematical, Cabot Science, Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Fine Arts, Fung, Harvard-Yenching, Houghton, Loeb Music, Physics Research, and Tozzer libraries and the Harvard Film Archive, Harvard Map Collection, and the Harvard Theatre Collection.

HCL includes major collections in the sciences, fine arts, music, humanities, film, maps, theatre, government documents, and rare books and manuscripts.  The collection also includes materials in over 100 languages.  We provide library services to the faculty and students of Harvard as well as the world-wide community of scholars and researchers.

Office of the Librarian

Office of the Librarian
Widener Library, Room 110
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
617-495-2401

Hours
9 am–5 pm, Monday–Friday

The Roy E. Larsen Librarian of Harvard College is responsible for the leadership and administration of the major libraries and numerous departmental and specialized libraries within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS). The Librarian is assisted by the Associate Librarian for Research, Teaching, and Learning ;  Associate Librarian for Preservation, Digitization, and Administrative Services; Associate Librarian for Collection Development; and Associate Librarian for Collection Management. In addition to their organization-wide responsibilities, the HCL Administration also oversees and coordinates the departmental activities of Widener Library, including Access Services, Collection Development, Research Services, and Harvard College Library Technical Services.

HCL Committees

The HCL committee structure is designed to provide opportunities for broad staff participation and leadership development, and to increase coordination and collaboration of program planning across HCL. 

Similar to the University Library Council (ULC) committee structure, the HCL plan includes coordinating committees, standing committees, working groups, and affinity groups. 

Membership for all committees and groups comes from across HCL, and generally rotates yearly to allow broader participation among staff.  Some members’ terms may be staggered to ensure continuity of work. 

Coordinating Committees represent broad programmatic areas and are responsible for strategic planning and high level policy recommendation.  Reporting to the Senior Management Council, they are composed primarily of senior level staff and are chaired by a member of the Senior Management Council.  The coordinating committees will appoint and oversee a subset of related groups (standing, work, affinity) within their purview.

HCL Coordinating Committees include: Circulation, Privileges, and Interlibrary Loan (CPILL); Collections and Content; Collection Management; Metadata and Reporting; Research, Education, and Outreach (REO); and Virtual Presence (VPCC). Additional information about the committees is avilable to the Harvard Community on the HCL Committees web site.

Standing Committees are permanent committees that do high level work focusing on a particular issue of import to the Library. 

Working Groups are comparable to task forces in that they focus on a very specific topic and can have a finite lifespan.  Both standing committees and working groups are appointed by and report to a coordinating committee. 

Affinity Groups sponsor informal gatherings for individuals who have common library-related interests with a focus on library-wide communication and professional development.  Membership is open to the community and the group facilitators are appointed by the affiliated coordinating or standing committee.

Two existing committees, Joint Council, and the Ergonomics Committee will continue to report to the Office of the Librarian. Minutes and reports of the former Collection Management Council and the Research and Access Services Council are available to HCL staff.


HCL Senior Management Council Members
Susan Fliss, Associate Librarian of Harvard College for Research, Teaching, and Learning and Interim Librarian of Harvard College
Dan Hazen, Associate Librarian for Collection Development
Mary Clare Altenhofen, Interim Librarian of the Fine Arts Library
Anna Anctil, Senior Human Resources Consultant
Paul Bellenoit, Director of Operations/Security
Meg Benson, Director of Financial Services
James Cheng, Librarian of Harvard-Yenching Library
Laura Farwell-Blake, Head of Services for Academic Programs
Katie Luddy, Director of Administration
Lynne Schmelz, Librarian of the Sciences and Librarian of Cabot and Tozzer Libraries
Martin Schreiner, Head of Maps, Media, Data, and Government Information
William Stoneman, Florence Fearrington Librarian of Houghton Library

Return to Top