Claire DeMarco
As Associate Vice Provost for Operations, Claire leads efforts to integrate advanced technologies and sustainable practices across all facets of library operations, enhancing the Penn Libraries' ability to support the university's research and educational missions. She is responsible for driving innovations that align with the rapid evolution of information discovery and academic library services.
Directing a team of 90 staff, she oversees the areas of preservation; conservation; physical processing; acquisitions, access, and licensing; access services; and technical services, and the stewardship of the Libraries' high-density storage facility, LIBRA.
Prior to joining Penn Libraries, DeMarco had served as Director of Information Discovery Services at Harvard Library where she oversaw the User Research Center, Digital Collections Discovery, Metadata Management & Project Strategy, Acquisitions, E-Resources & Serials, and Metadata Creation. She began working at Harvard in 2012 in the Faculty Support Services and Research Services groups at Harvard Law School Library. In 2017 she joined Harvard Library to implement the initiatives outlined in the library's first digital strategy, including the reimagining of the library website, the creation of a new digital collections platform, and expanding the use of interoperable metadata standards and structures, including linked data and IIIF.
In the broader library science field, Claire has served as the Chair of ALA-CORE Technical Services Directors of Large Research Libraries Committee, as Secretary of the LD4 Steering Group, and as a member of the IPLC Technical Services Group.
During previous periods of her career, Claire worked as a managing attorney in health care practice and as a research specialist in legislative and regulatory affairs at both state and federal levels. She has also served as an adjunct faculty member at Northeastern University School of Law. She holds an A.B. from Mount Holyoke College, an M.S.L.I.S. from Drexel University, and a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School.
