From Building a First-Generation Digital Library Infrastructure to Reimagining Discovery

This paper broadly considers the evolution of digital library infrastructure, drawing on the experience of the Harvard Library over the past 25 years. The Library Digital Initiative (LDI) marked the beginning of Harvard’s efforts to integrate traditional library collections with digital resources and enable robust user engagement with digital content while prioritizing digital preservation. As the concepts of the digital library and digital curation have evolved, the complexity and scale of digital data have exploded, introducing new challenges in integrating internal and external resources, managing diverse types of content, and optimizing user experience for a new generation of information seekers.

As our field grapples with the rapid pace of technological change and the challenges and opportunities presented by innovations like generative AI, Harvard is exploring what the future of information discovery will look like in an academic context. Harvard’s “Reimagining Discovery” initiative aims to push the boundaries of new technologies and modalities while prioritizing user experience, equity, inclusion, and open access wherever possible.

Drawing on these experiences, our paper explores the broader implications of technological and societal change on how libraries will provide digital services in an exciting and uncertain future.