Mission, Vision, and Values

The mission of the Houghton Library Technical Services Department is to provide access to the library's rare and unique materials, and preserve the collections in our care for ongoing discovery and use. Our foundational work supports the teaching and research activities of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, and the global community of researchers.

Vision

Values

As professionals responsible for facilitating the discovery of library collections, the librarians and archivists of the Houghton Library Technical Services Department receive, identify, describe, and steward the library’s collections. We identify four key values in our service orientation: openness, accuracy, accountability, and excellence.

Openness

We collaborate and cooperate within our own department and institution, with colleagues in the archival and rare materials community, and with our users, in a spirit of sharing and inclusivity. We serve the collections and users through transparent and unguarded openness as we make materials and intellectual content freely available.

Accuracy

Through the use of professional standards and critical thinking, we strive to describe the materials in our care as accurately as possible. We use expert judgement along with our unique understanding of Houghton’s holdings to make informed decisions about what, why, and how to catalog and describe these resources.

Accountability

We document and describe the library’s collections, accounting for their content, creators, and historical relationships. We are committed to a forward-looking and iterative approach to this work, in which metadata and descriptions may always be updated or expanded upon as needed. Our focus is on the materials and their users.

Excellence

As we catalog, process, and digitize library collections, we depend on historic, current, and emerging technologies and protocols. We explore and engage with technology and other tools, working across a wide range of evolving platforms.

Our core commitment is service to users, colleagues, and the materials themselves. We provide access to all as we honor our collections’ ability to inform and inspire.