Richard Wendorf, Librarian of the Houghton Library since 1989, has accepted the position of director and librarian of the 189-year-old Boston Athenaeum, one of the nation's most venerable cultural institutions.

Wendorf will assume his new position on Feb. 1, 1997.

"Deciding to leave Harvard has obviously been a very difficult decision," Wendorf said this week, "for I have enjoyed my seven years here very much; this has been a period of personal and professional growth, and of intense satisfaction."

Houghton's recent history has been "an intense and productive period," said Wendorf, pointing to milestones such as the retrospective conversion of the card catalog to electronic form and the renovation of the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system as well as the creation and endowment of the visiting-fellows program, stabilization of the Library's budget, the yearlong celebration of Houghton's 50th anniversary (1992), and the appointment of four new department heads.

"But it is now time to face fresh challenges and opportunities in the environment of an independent cultural institution," he said. "I am extremely flattered that the Athenaeum's trustees have asked me to provide direction and leadership at this important turning point.

"The Boston Athenaeum is not only one of this country's oldest and most distinguished cultural institutions, but also a local treasure. Building on the Athenaeum's strong history, I plan to work with the board of trustees and members of the staff to reach out to the Boston community, and to ensure that the library's research collections are even more widely consulted by scholars interested in art, history, and literature."

Nancy Cline, who arrived just this month to serve as the Roy E. Larsen Librarian of Harvard College, expressed disappointment upon learning of Wendorf's departure.

"But I know we will be able to maintain close ties," she said. "I am confident the relationship between the Boston Athenaeum and Harvard's libraries will be strengthened in the years ahead, and this bodes well for a broad range of scholars."

Noting that Wendorf "will be missed," Sidney Verba, University Library Director and Carl H. Pforzheimer University Professor, called his leadership "invaluable in maintaining and enhancing [Houghton's] status as one of the great rare-book and manuscript libraries of the world. He helped bring Houghton into the center of teaching and research at Harvard. He has been both a distinguished scholar and a distinguished administrator. We all wish him well in his new and important position."

FAS Dean Jeremy Knowles praised Wendorf for having "given us splendid scholarly support in running the Houghton Library and cherishing its collections over the past seven years. We shall miss his skill and his commitment to the Library."

Educated at Williams College, Oxford, and Princeton, Wendorf came to Harvard from Northwestern University, where he served as professor of English and art history. At Northwestern, he also served as associate dean for undergraduate studies in the College of Arts and Science (1984-88). This fall, Harvard University Press will release his most recent book, Sir Joshua Reynolds: The Painter in Society.