For the Love of the Libraries

There are few places in the world where a student can go from knowing absolutely nothing about a subject to possessing virtually every book and journal article ever written about it in just one afternoon. Harvard is one of those places.

For this, we owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Pforzheimer University Professor Sidney Verba ’53, who has served as director of the Harvard University Libraries (HUL) for the past 20 years. Over the course of his tenure, Verba has shown a remarkable commitment to keep HUL on the technological edge of library science. But in light of his upcoming retirement from the post, it is imperative that his successor continue the projects he has left unfinished and forge ahead with new initiatives that will keep Harvard’s library system at the forefront of academia well into the future.

Increasing the ease of accessing Harvard’s formidable collections has always been at the forefront of Verba’s agenda, and it must remain a central goal. In recent years, the process of searching Harvard’s resources has improved tremendously, and HOLLIS—HUL’s online collection search tool—has grown into an indispensable aid. Unfortunately, the resources contained in the many electronic databases to which HUL subscribes cannot be searched with similar ease. Developing a single search engine that offers access to all of Harvard’s holdings—both physical and electronic, such as those contained in JSTOR and Academic Search Premier—will be crucial if Harvard’s burgeoning collection is to remain organized and accessible.

Additionally, Harvard’s commitment to digitization must not waver after Verba’s retirement. The outgoing director wisely involved Harvard in the pilot run of the Google Print project, an ambitious attempt to create a free, publicly-accessible database of millions of texts. This amazing database would allow the general public to search not only the titles of books, but their full text as well. Allowing digital access to the library’s collection will not only be a boon to researchers and the public at large, but may also allow for cost and environmental savings in the future. Unlimited access to online resources from any Internet terminal will greatly reduce the need to order multiple hard copies of books and periodicals.

Nevertheless, as HUL moves forward with its digitization process, it must not neglect its print holdings. Traditional books and periodicals offer distinct advantages, including durability and permanency, that do not rely on the whims of a server. Printed books, moreover, are a more pleasurable reading experience for many readers, and the joy of stumbling upon a useful but theretofore unknown book while searching for its neighbor in the stacks cannot easily be replicated online.

HUL has also become much more student-friendly in the past several years; we hope this trend will continue. Lamont’s 24/5 operating schedule has been tremendously popular, and ought to be made permanent. Furthermore, the first-floor café has made studying in Lamont more convenient and enjoyable; HUL should consider expanding its hours. Lastly, HUL should continue to work with professors to facilitate the assembly of online coursepacks to minimize student costs and take full advantage of the online resources for which Harvard is already paying.

The next director of HUL will face considerable challenges, including a tight budget further constrained by the rising price of foreign books and periodicals. While any successor to Verba’s legacy will have tremendous shoes to fill, we are confident that a sustained commitment to technology, accessibility, and student service will continue to make HUL the best friend of celebrated researchers and undergraduate term-paper procrastinators alike.