Libraries
E-Book Contracts Are a Big Cost for Public Libraries. One Harvard Librarian Is Fighting to Change That.
For the past five years, Kyle K. Courtney, who directs copyright and information policy for Harvard’s libraries, has fought to make e-books more accessible to public libraries across the United States.
How a Harvard Initiative is Translating Archives for AI Models
Since Harvard’s Institutional Data Initiative launched last December, the team has formed partnerships with open-source artificial intelligence developers like OpenAI and Microsoft to train large language models on archival documents in institutional collections.
Harvard’s Austerity Measures Put Library Renovations on Hold
Harvard has paused plans to renovate four University libraries ahead of its 400th anniversary in 2036 as part of a temporary halt to capital projects amid an ongoing fight with the White House over federal funding.
Initiative to Digitize Records of Slave Trade Will Move to Harvard
A nearly six-decades old initiative to digitize records of the trans-Atlantic and intra-American slave trades is moving to Harvard’s Hutchins Center for African & African American Research, the University announced earlier this month.
Schlesinger Library Launches Project to Process Radcliffe College Archives
The Schlesinger Library is launching a four-year project to process a portion of the Radcliffe College archives in July, opening the door for researchers to learn more about the history of women’s higher education.
Kenneth Roth Says Universities Must Stand Up To Trump’s Attack on Academic Freedom
Former executive director of Human Rights Watch Kenneth Roth said universities must unite against the Trump administration’s “autocratically-inclined” attack on campus free speech at a Thursday evening book talk at the Cambridge Public Library.
On Lamont’s 75th Anniversary, Librarians Reflect on ‘Microcosm’ of Campus History
Situated in the southeast corner of Harvard Yard, Lamont — which celebrated its 75th anniversary last month — holds the Harvard Library’s main undergraduate collection for the humanities and social sciences. It was constructed in 1949, funded by a donation from 1892 alumnus Thomas W. Lamont.
The JFK Presidential Library Closed — Then Reopened — Amid Confusion Over DOGE Firings
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum abruptly closed indefinitely on Tuesday afternoon, following an executive order that triggered a new round of federal layoffs. But the library reopened Wednesday morning — without reinstating fired workers.
Harvard Law School Library Innovation Lab Launches U.S. Federal Data Vault
The Harvard Law School Library Innovation Lab published the first-ever collection of preserved U.S. datasets on Thursday, preserving them as part of its newly-established data vault project.
Cambridge Public Library Staff Sign New Contract After Year of Negotiations
The Cambridge Public Library Staff Association ratified a new three-year contract with the City of Cambridge on Wednesday after a year of bargaining, which had stalled for months over wage increases.
After Evading ID Checks, Some Library Study-in Participants Remain Unpunished
Participants at two recent study-ins at Widener Library and the Harvard Law School Library left the premises before administrators managed to check their Harvard IDs. Now, it seems, they will escape punishment entirely.
4 HGSE Students Suspended from Library for Staging Pro-Palestine Study-In
Four Harvard Graduate School of Education students were suspended for two weeks from the school’s Gutman Library after they helped stage a pro-Palestine “study-in” on Nov. 12.
Harvard Law School Students Protest in Library, Leave Before ID Checks
More than 50 Harvard Law School students quietly protested in Langdell Hall’s library Friday afternoon, the third study-in protest to occur at HLS this semester.
Students Suspended from Harvard Divinity School Library After Pray-In
Harvard Divinity School students were issued two-week suspensions from its library for participating in a pro-Palestine “pray-in” demonstration last Monday.
Harvard Law School Denies Student Appeals to Reverse Library Bans
Harvard Law School administrators rejected appeals from students to reverse temporary suspensions from the school’s library in Langdell Hall over their participation in pro-Palestine “study-ins” last month.
No ID Checks, but Harvard ‘Determining Next Steps’ After Second Faculty Study-In
Roughly 35 Harvard faculty members held a silent study-in in Widener Library on Friday afternoon, marking the second time faculty have gathered in the library to denounce the University’s protest restrictions.
FAS Dean Hoekstra Defends 2-Week Library Bans for Harvard Activists
Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Hopi E. Hoekstra gave a full-throated endorsement of Harvard Library’s decision to temporarily ban protesters who staged library study-ins Tuesday.
Students Stage Pro-Palestine ‘Pray-In’ Protest at Harvard Divinity School Library
More than 55 graduate students called on the University to divest from Israel’s war in Gaza and end censorship on campus during a “pray-in” protest at the Harvard Divinity School’s library on Monday.
Harvard Affiliates Celebrate Day of the Dead with Ofrenda, Soiree
Widener Library’s West Stacks Reading Room, which ordinarily sees students quietly studying, instead housed an ofrenda with photos of students’ loved ones as affiliates celebrated Día de los Muertos on Wednesday.
Harvard Law Students Banned From Library Over Study-In, HOOP Says at Rally
Student protesters received another ban from Harvard Law School’s Langdell Library for participating in a study-in last week.
Library Study-Ins: A New Chapter for Pro-Palestine Activism at Harvard
Silent library demonstrations, or study-ins, have become increasingly popular among pro-Palestine campus activists at Harvard. It’s put administrators between a rock and a hard place.
Harvard Faculty Appeal Temporary Suspensions From Widener Library
Faculty members who were temporarily banned from Widener Library for participating in a study-in protest appealed their sanctions to Harvard Library, calling their suspensions “unlawful violations” of their contracts.
More Than 70 Harvard Students Stage Pro-Palestine Study-In at Widener Library
More than 70 pro-Palestine activists staged a silent study-in at Widener Library on Tuesday to protest the University’s refusal to conduct a review of its investments for ties to human rights violations.
Faculty Members Suspended From Harvard’s Main Library After ‘Study-In’ Protest
Harvard Libraries suspended roughly 25 faculty members from entering Widener Library for two weeks after they conducted a silent “study-in” protest in the library’s main reading room last week, an extraordinary disciplinary action taken by the University against its own faculty.
HLS Students Hold Langdell Library ‘Study-in’ to Protest War in Gaza
More than 100 Harvard Law School students protested the war in Israel and Gaza and “Harvard’s complicity in Israel’s genocide” at a silent “study-in” in HLS’ Langdell Library on Thursday.