Director Francis . Countway Library of Medicine

Position: Director of the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine
Company Description By working at Harvard University, you join a vibrant community that advances Harvard's world-changing mission in meaningful ways, inspires innovation and collaboration, and builds skills and expertise. We are dedicated to creating a diverse and welcoming environment where everyone can thrive.

Why join Harvard Medical School?

Harvard Medical School's mission is to nurture a diverse, inclusive community dedicated to alleviating suffering and improving health and well-being for all through excellence in teaching and learning, discovery and scholarship, and service and leadership.

You’ll be at the heart of biomedical discovery, education, and innovation, working alongside world-renowned faculty and a community dedicated to improving human health. This is more than a job - it’s an opportunity to shape the future of medicine.

About the Francis

A. Countway Library of Medicine:
   Countway Library of Medicine is one of the largest academic medical libraries in the world and a core resource for clinical medicine, biomedical sciences, dentistry, and public health. Countway Library benefits from its role as an important part of the Harvard Library, the world's largest academic library. Through its Center for the History of Medicine, Countway stewards internationally renowned historical and rare collections, including the Archives and Records Management Program for the Harvard medical area and the Warren Anatomical Museum Collection.

Countway advances education and research through curricular services and deep expertise in evidence-based practice, research data management, and scholarly communication. It champions open knowledge and open access to collections in support of education, research, teaching, community building, and professional development.

Countway is deeply embedded in the medical, dental, and public health curricula. Librarians and archivists provide individual research consultations and teach courses and workshops—onsite and virtually—on topics such as evidence searching, analysis and synthesis, research data management, and presentation skills. The Center for the History of Medicine supports global scholarship through rare books, archives, artifacts, and audiovisual materials, with strengths across numerous clinical and public health domains and a particular focus on Harvard’s own medical and public health history.

A multi-phased, multi-million-dollar renovation completed in 2023 transformed Countway into a contemporary, technology-enabled, biophilic learning environment. The library offers expanded collaboration and individual study spaces, classrooms, event venues, and wellness areas, and has received multiple architectural awards, including recognition from the American Library Association and the Boston Preservation Alliance.

Application Process:

Applications will be reviewed by the Search Committee.  Confidential review of applications, nominations, and expressions of interest will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Although the position will remain posted until filled, applicants are strongly encouraged to apply by the end of the day on Friday, September 4th, 2026.

Job Description Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Harvard Library seek an accomplished, forward‑looking executive to serve as Director of the Francis

A. Countway Library of Medicine, the biomedical research library of Harvard University.

The Director leads the development of library services for the health and biomedical sciences at Harvard, partnering directly with the Harvard Medical School, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, and an extensive network of affiliated hospitals and research institutes, and with colleagues…