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Laura Wood
Strategic & collaborative librarian with excellent leadership experience. Data-driven decision maker. Committed to anti-racism in libraries. Values: integrity, partnership, and curiosity. And fun. Libraries can be fun.
Laura C. Wood is the Director of the Academy Library at Phillips Exeter Academy, a position she has held since July 2022.1 She is an experienced librarian and senior administrator with a strong background in academic libraries.1
Career Highlights
- Current Role: Director of the Academy Library at Phillips Exeter Academy (July 2022 - Present)1
- Previous Positions:
- Associate University Librarian for Research and Education at Harvard University (2017-2021)1
- Director of Tisch Library at Tufts University (2011-2017)1
- Librarian at Harvard Divinity School (2004-2011)1
- Head of Technical Services and Periodicals Librarian at Emory University's Pitts Theology Library (1998-2004)1
Education
Wood holds multiple advanced degrees:
- MSI from the University of Michigan - School of Information1
- MBA from Emory University - Goizueta Business School1
- MAR from Yale University - Divinity School1
- BA in Religion/Religious Studies from Mount Holyoke College1
Professional Approach
Wood is known for her strategic and collaborative leadership style.1 She values transparency, collaboration, campus partnerships, data-driven decision making, and curiosity in her approach to library management.1 Wood sees herself as an educator and is committed to anti-racism in libraries.1
Philosophy
"Libraries are all about facilitating curiosity! Making independent discovery possible and cultivating community through programming are two of the best parts of my work," Wood states.3 She aims to maximize the library's ability to support faculty and students in their intellectual pursuits and to anticipate future needs.2
At Phillips Exeter Academy, Wood oversees the Class of 1945 Library, which is the largest secondary school library in the world, housing 160,000 volumes with a capacity for 250,000.4


