LTS Newsletter: October 2025

Library Technology Services, Harvard Library

Welcome to Library Technology Service’s occasional newsletter for anyone interested in Harvard Library IT.

Keeping Images Alive: The Kodak Photo CD Format Migration

Harvard Library’s Imaging Services and Digital Preservation Services partnered with LTS to migrate 3,913 DRS objects across 11 owner codes from Kodak Photo CD (KPCD) archival files to JP2000s. These still images included photographic collections like daguerreotypes, which were originally digitized in the early 2000s when KPCDs were a stable archival format for high-quality digital images. Over twenty years later, the risk of loss grew due to it being a proprietary format with dwindling rendering software options. The migration and subsequent repointing of legacy URNs ensures continuity of access.

The KPCD migration is our first format migration of archival-role files in the Digital Repository Service. The migration demonstrates the value of collaborative digital preservation efforts in securing the ongoing stability and accessibility of Harvard Library’s rich digital collections for future user communities.

Coming soon: CURIOSity 5.0!

We’re excited to share that CURIOSity 5.0 is scheduled to launch the last week of October. This will be a major upgrade that enhances how Harvard Library staff create, manage, and share digital collections and exhibits.

Key improvements include:

More flexible exhibit design options and improved image display controls
Expanded accessibility features, including alt text and an accessibility dashboard
Faster harvesting and enhanced security against bots for improved performance
A modernized foundation that strengthens stability and supports future development

These updates will make it easier to build accessible, visually engaging sites and will ensure that CURIOSity remains a sustainable and secure platform for showcasing Harvard Library’s digital collections.

Stay tuned for a launch announcement next week!

Okta for Everyone

HarvardKey has evolved! You may have noticed changes to the HarvardKey login experience in recent months. Over the past several months, LTS has been working closely with the Identity and Access Management (IAM) team in HUIT to transition HarvardKey to a new application called Okta. Okta offers stronger security than previous versions of HarvardKey along with new features, such as passwordless login, that weren’t available previously.

Most library staff have already switched from DUO to Okta with very few complications; remaining DUO users will be invited to enroll in Okta between now and March. For users this is the biggest change to HarvardKey since the introduction of two-factor verification in 2016. If you haven’t already done so, take a few minutes to explore Okta’s new options for verification – you can now verify your login with biometrics like a fingerprint or facial recognition, or by using a Windows Hello passkey on your computer, without needing to pull out your phone or a USB key. (Note that using biometrics is entirely optional – there is no requirement to share that information if you’re concerned about privacy.)

What you may not realize is that in addition to the visible changes to the HarvardKey login experience, behind the scenes every single web application that uses HarvardKey must also be individually reconfigured to work with Okta. This involves not only recreating the actual login communication between HarvardKey and the application but also restructuring the user populations for each application to work well with Okta. LTS and IAM have already added or migrated 18 LTS-managed library services to Okta so far this year, and we are on schedule to complete Okta migration for our remaining 21 HarvardKey applications by June 2026.

Standardized Rights Statements - New Metadata Support

In collaboration with the UX & Discovery team, LTS has implemented processing of standardized rights and license terms from catalog records to ensure that they are carried through to user-facing systems. This means that standardized terms from rightsstatements.org and Creative Commons applied to Alma records, JSTOR Forum records, and ArchivesSpace finding aids are now included in the metadata for LibraryCloud items and records provided to HOLLIS. This update helps improve rights clarity and sets the stage for improved discovery for digital collections.

Staff interested in incorporating rightsstatements.org and Creative Commons terms into metadata records are advised to reach out to libraryux@harvard.edu.

Primo VE Beta Testing

During the fall semester, staff are encouraged to try HOLLIS Beta, an updated version of HOLLIS powered by Primo VE. The updated version of HOLLIS has minimal impact on the site experience but includes many technical improvements. We will migrate to this new version in January 2026. Please send any feedback via the feedback form.

HUIT Annual Report

Harvard University Information Technology (HUIT) published its 2025 Annual Report which provides a broad overview of HUIT's accomplishments in support of the University community. HUIT's partnership with the Library is highlighted, including the Reimagining Discovery initiative and the launch of Collections Explorer, the newly available Harvard Library Public Domain Corpus, the transition to the OpenAthens authentication service, and the full upgrade of DASH (Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard).

Support Team Roundup

September was a busy month for the LTS Support team as we fielded over 500 tickets in LibAnswers for the month!

Avery Clements from the Support Team is participating in the RPA Citizen Developer program. This is a 9-month program where the cohort members learn how to design and create robotic process automation (RPA) tools. She’s hoping to use the tools from this program to find ways to improve support workflows and Alma processes.

The LTS team sends congratulations to Isa Perez on her new role! Thank you, Isa, for all of your work with the support team and assistance on tasks like creating Aeon accounts and managing our ticketing statistics. We are going to miss Isa's help!

Staff News

Long-time staff assistant, Isa Perez, is shifting roles to support project coordination for the Discovery Center which is a key component of the Library's Public Engagement Project. Isa’s new responsibilities will include coordinating project timelines, liaising with stakeholders, supporting documentation and reporting, and helping ensure clear communication across teams. Isa will work closely with Anne-Marie Eze and Michael Baenen, who are currently leading this effort.