This is the future of the Harvard Library.
Meet Hannah.
Hannah's study group is looking at innovations in bicycle technology.
She talks to a reference librarian to make sure she's focusing on the best information
about patent law, trade flows, research and development, and traffic patterns.
Her group posts its hyperlinked notes to a collaborative learning space, which is accessed
a day later by a globe-spanning research team studying transmission patterns in E. coli-caused
infant mortality.
The way Hannah maps traffic to underlying data suggests a way for them to report the
spread of new infections, unlocking insights which they publish in an open-access journal
along with deep links to supporting documentation from other scientists around the world.
All of this is automatically added to the microbiome catalog available through the library's
search service, which is cited by Justin, an undergraduate working on a paper about
plagues in Asia Minor.
He posts a shout-out to his friends on Twitter for mash-ups of maps, annotated videos, images,
and music.
Amazed to hear back that the 19th-century texts he's looking at are in the library,
he records a video log to tell everyone he's heading out to check out the real thing.
Justin's video inspires one of his professors to drill down a little deeper as she develops
an online course on nation building.
A text-mining analysis opens her eyes about early transportation systems.
And when her class goes online, Hannah is notified of a new hit on her search for the
term "bicycle."
How is all of this possible?
Because our diverse and unique collections, global networks, technology, and expertise
help merge the digital and physical world.
Because we can help you assess, curate, and make sense of the vast world of knowledge
from early history to right now.
And because we can help you wherever you are whenever you need us and whatever you're studying.
Nurturing ideas that lead to more ideas: The Harvard Library.