Harvard’s Library Lab announces its Showcase Year

Harvard’s Library Lab, which enhances knowledge and library services with generous support from the Arcadia Fund, will launch its Showcase Year in December 2013. The Showcase Year will involve refining coding and development, creating documentation, sharing projects across Harvard and with other institutions, usability testing and comprehensively documenting the Library Lab program and process. The Showcase Year will also initiate the final year of funding for the Library Lab from the Arcadia Fund grant.

With a focus on bringing existing projects to their full potential, the Showcase Year will not include funding for new projects. The Library Lab Parking Lot, where staff can post and view innovative suggestions for the Harvard Library, will continue to be maintained. Additionally, the Library Lab team will regularly share ideas from the Parking Lot with Library staff members.

To date, Library Lab has given approximately $3 million to 56 projects through more than six submission rounds in three years. Harvard Library staff, faculty, students, and non-Harvard affiliates from MIT and Yale have been involved in projects ranging from user engagement to metadata management. Projects from Rounds 5 and 6 are currently under way.

This is an exciting new phase for Library Lab, and promises benefits to the Harvard community and beyond. Updates on the Lab’s work will be shared throughout 2013-14.