GSD Librarian Leaves Harvard

Saying he will seek new personal and professional challenges, the head librarian at the Loeb Library of the Graduate School of Design (GSD) announced last week that he would resign after 25 years on the job.

James S. Hodgson, who directed the GSD's library during its recent period of rapid expansion, will be replaced in January by Head of Technical Services Hinda F. Sklar on an interim basis until a successor can be found.

"I have certainly found it quite exhilarating to work at GSD, but I felt that after 25 years in the same job it really was time to change," Hodgson said.

Hodgson has overseen the expansion of the Loeb Library's collections and the modernization of its services over the last few decades One of the most significant changes has been the implementation of the Harvard On-Line Library Information System (HOLLIS) computer cataloging system, he said.

Hodgson said, however, that the library encountered some resistence in installing the HOLLIS system. "It is a very difficult task to integrate HOLLIS into a large and tradition bound institution like Harvard."

Hodgson said that the new computer system represents an important improvement in the library's services.

"HOLLIS may not be the capstone, but it is certainly one of the major events in the process of change that has been going on for the last 20 or 30 years," he said.

Hodgson's colleagues were apparently not expecting his resignation. Sklar said that "everyone was surprised" at his announcement and that his fellow librarians liked and respected him.

In the near future Hodgson said he expects to do no library work. He said he is exploring several options, including public service, although at this point his plans are still tentative.

"Twenty-five years seem to go by very fast when you are working in a dynamic place like Harvard," he said. "After such a long time in the same job I just have to take some time to think about my future."