We build open source tools used at Harvard and beyond that preserve and expand access to knowledge.
Learn more about the lab on the LIL website.
Our Projects
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Perma.cc
Perma.cc helps scholars, journals, courts, and others create permanent records of the web sources they cite.
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H2O Open Casebook
H2O is a platform for creating, sharing, and remixing open course materials.
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Caselaw Access Project
The Caselaw Access Project offers free, public access to over 6.5 million decisions published by state and federal courts throughout U.S. history.
Our Team
Read our staff bios on the LIL website.
Christian Smith
Software Engineering Manager
Christian discovered the craft of research when his open source work with cryptography led to academic collaboration and an engineering role at MIT. Years prior he witnessed the impact of technology on law as a student at Berklee College of Music, when dotcom era file-sharing networks disrupted the music industry. At LIL, he aims to empower the engineering team, help invent breakthrough library tools, and improve access to justice.
LIL Blog Posts
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Who Will Steward Humanity’s Public Data? Collective Global Stewardship for the Long Horizon
On September 10, 2026, Jacqueline J. Dearborn, Library Innovation Lab Fellow, gave a virtual talk about the Public Data Project ’s International Data Infrastructure Research and Development effort. The transcript below has been lightly edited for clarity.
September 24, 2026
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Public Data, AI, and the Future of the Catalog
The following is taken from remarks delivered on the “AI and Government Data” panel at the AI for Library, Archives, and Museums 2026 conference.
September 22, 2026
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Global Stewardship of Public Data: A Research & Development Initiative for Resilient Public Data Infrastructure
JJ Dearborn and Jennifer Chapman are current Public Data Project Fellows at the Library Innovation Lab, spearheading an R&D project on international data infrastructure. They share some of their initial thoughts here.
September 1, 2026