HCL Technical Services

Overview of HCL Technical Services

HCL Technical Services
625 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02139
Tel: 617-495-1685
Fax: 617-384-7170
E-mail: hclts@fas.harvard.edu

Harvard College Library Technical Services (HCLTS) is responsible for acquiring and providing intellectual access to collections in all formats and in dozens of languages for the libraries within Harvard College Library and others affiliated with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (see all collections supported by HCLTS).

While traditional print texts remain a vital part of the library’s newly acquired materials, Technical Services also ensures access to diverse collections that include visual materials, motion pictures, musical scores and sound recordings, microforms, special collections and digital media. Providing electronic access to and metadata for databases and an array of digital formats is an increasingly important commitment for Harvard libraries and for Technical Services.

HCL Technical Services implemented a new departmental structure in May of 2010 after analysis and planning that took over a year. A unit of approximately 30 librarians and 50 paraprofessional staff, Technical Services reorganized from a language-based division structure to a functionally-based organization designed to be more flexible and responsive. More information on the guiding principles and goals of the reorganization is available in an early planning document, HCL Technical Services in the 21st Century: Vision for a New Organizational Structure - March 2009.

Harvard College Library Technical Services is now composed of two sections, the Monographic Section and the Electronic Resources, Serials & Government Documents section and a single support team, Administrative & Technology Support, that has a unit-wide role.

    Monographic
  • User Services & Direct Access Processing: this unit is charged to coordinate and track fulfillment of user requests for materials not yet available in the library. They collaborate with other units within HCL Technical Services, Access Services, Interlibrary Loan and Collection Development to ensure prompt and timely response to all user requests. The unit is also responsible for streamlined receipt and payment of a subset of new library materials that can be expedited to library shelves.
  • Monographic Acquisitions & Copy Cataloging (MACC): this unit (MACC) is responsible for orders, receipt, payment and copy cataloging of all monographic materials not eligible for Direct Access Processing. Although MACC is a single unit with all staff cross-trained to work together on priority areas, there are three teams within MACC, organized around geographic publishing regions to facilitate efficient vendor relationships: Africa, Asia & Pacific; Americas; Western Europe.
  • Metadata & Cataloging: this unit is responsible for providing intellectual access to materials in all languages requiring creation of original metadata, selecting appropriate metadata schemas and using a variety of tools to apply them. Creation of original metadata is performed at a range of levels (core & brief). Additional areas of work include: classification and subject analysis, authority work, and complex copy cataloging for materials, as appropriate. Database management problems are also resolved within the Metadata and Cataloging unit.

Electronic Resources, Serials & Government Documents - This section (ESG) is made up of two teams, Acquisitions and Cataloging. They work collaboratively to order, receive, pay and catalog electronic resources, serials, volumes received on monographic series standing orders, and government documents in all languages. Staff perform original and complex copy cataloging, with original metadata created at a range of levels within the framework of Harvard University's commitment to CONSER. The ESG section includes the E-Resources Management Librarian who works closely with the university's Office for Information Systems (OIS) and Collection Development to license and provide access to digital resources.

Administrative & Technology Support Team - This team is the locus of coordination for department-wide administrative and technology support. Through a variety of full- and part-time roles, members of the team work independently and collectively to support HCLTS in development of macros, Cognos reports, development and maintenance of the department’s website and iSites, coordination and support for projects throughout the department, and as liaisons to OIS and HCL ITS on development of new products or software/hardware needs. Additionally, this team is responsible for investigating existing and new technologies for their applicability in the support of the work of HCL Technical Services.

Collections Supported by HCL Technical Services

HCL Technical Services provides support for the collections listed below. The asterisks indicate libraries where cataloging is only partially provided by HCLTS.

Widener (excluding Judaica; Middle Eastern; Modern Greek and Slavic divisions), Lamont, *Arnold Arboretum Horticultural, *Birkoff Mathematics, Blue Hill, *Cabot Science, Center for European Studies, Child Memorial, *Chemistry, Fine Arts, *Fung, Gibb Islamic, Gordon McKay, Grossman, *Harvard Yenching Library, History Department, History of Science, Linguistics, Medieval Studies, Near Eastern Languages and Literature, *Physics Research , Robbins Philosophy, Robinson Celtic, Sanskrit, Smyth Classical, and Wolbach libraries and the *Harvard University Archives, Harvard Map Collection, *Harvard Theatre Collection, and Theodore Roosevelt Collection.

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