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Overview There are over 80 libraries at Harvard University with extensive collections in numerous subject areas. Each library has its own set of policies and procedures and should be consulted for specific questions and for assistance with research. While some Harvard library buildings are open to the public, most require a valid Harvard ID for admittance. Libraries are listed along with their contact information, hours and policies in the libraries section of the Harvard Libraries website. The following is a brief guide to finding materials at Harvard. The sheer size and number of the Harvard libraries and collections sometimes make it challenging to locate specific items. If you don’t find what you need, please ask a reference librarian.
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Finding Books To find books at any of the Harvard libraries, search the HOLLIS (Harvard Online Library Information System) Catalog by author, title, keyword, subject, and more. The HOLLIS Catalog is a database containing records for more than 15 million books, journals, manuscripts, government documents, maps, microforms, music scores, sound recordings, visual materials, dissertations, and data files in libraries at Harvard. Some materials are located at the Harvard Depository, a large, off-campus storage facility. Many of these items can be requested online through the HOLLIS Catalog; other items will need to be requested through the library that owns the item.
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Finding Articles in Journals and Newspapers To find journal articles by topic, author or keyword, the best option is to select and search e-resources from the E-Research @ Harvard Libraries web site. Use Find E-Resources to search or browse by resource name, keyword or subject. You may also use Quick Search to find articles and other information by searching in librarian-created sets of e-resources in broad subject areas. Once you locate specific article citations, look for a Harvard Find It button near the citation. Click on this button to find out if full text is available or to link to the journal holdings in the HOLLIS Catalog. If there is no Harvard button in the database, copy the citation and search for the journal title in Find E-Journals or in the HOLLIS Catalog. If you have an article citation in hand and would like to see if Harvard has access to that journal in print or online, you can also use Find It's Citation Linker.
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Locating Journals and Newspapers Begin your search to locate individual journals and newspapers by entering their titles in the Journals section of the HOLLIS Catalog. Harvard also provides access to many electronic versions of journals and newspapers through the Find E-Journals section of the E-Research @ Harvard Libraries web site or Find It's Citation Linker. See below for more specific information on electronic journals and newspapers. There are also listings of Newspaper Collections on Microform held in the Harvard Libraries which include many older publications and date runs.
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Electronic Journals and Databases The E-Research @ Harvard Libraries web site provides access to a wide variety of web-based information sources, including research databases and collections, journal indexes, the full text of many scholarly journals and newspapers, web guides, and much more. You must use a library workstation or be a member of the Harvard community with an active Harvard ID and PIN to access most licensed resources.
Many additional online materials (e-books, CD-ROMs, etc.) can also be located through
the Digital
Resources section of the HOLLIS Catalog, so look in both places to ensure a complete search.
To find out whether or not you have access to a specific electronic journal
or newspaper at Harvard, use
Citation Linker to search by the title or ISSN of the journal.
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Archives and Specialized Materials Harvard has several catalogs which cover specialized types of materials. These include:
Please note that although these catalogs are growing, they currently represent only some of the specialized materials held at Harvard; consult the HOLLIS Catalog or contact the reference staff of a Harvard special collection for more information on holdings. It is also possible to use the Harvard Lib Catalogs Quick Search set to simultaneously search for materials in all of these catalogs, including both HOLLIS and the Baker Library catalog.Archival and manuscript collections are listed at the Harvard Libraries website.
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Borrowing Privileges To check out a book or other material, go to the library in which the item is located. Borrowing policies and procedures vary by library and by faculty affiliation, but are generally limited to current members of the Harvard community with a Harvard ID or those with a Special Borrowers card. Consult individual library listings for borrowing and access policies.
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Renewals and Recalls Members of the Harvard community with a valid Harvard ID and PIN may renew materials online by using the Your Account function of the HOLLIS Catalog. Materials may also be recalled online if another user has them checked out. Again, renewal and recall policies and procedures vary by library.
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"On Order" and "Ordered-Received" Material To request an item in the HOLLIS Catalog that is listed as "On Order" or "Ordered-Received," contact the owning library (List of Harvard Libraries).
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Reserves To find readings held on reserve for a Harvard course, use the HOLLIS Catalog and click on "Reserves" in the top menu for the most complete listing. The Reserves section includes items that the Full Catalog does not, such as reprints and materials on loan from instructors. Note that some libraries do not use the HOLLIS Catalog for reserves and that you may need to visit these libraries for information about course readings.
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Interlibrary Loan (ILL) If you don’t find the materials you need in the Harvard libraries, ask a staff member at your faculty library about borrowing materials from another institution through interlibrary loan. Note that interlibrary loan policies and procedures vary widely across the Harvard libraries. For information about your faculty library's ILL policies, check its entry under library listings. Look for ILL information under "Services" or visit the library's web site. If you are not a member of the Harvard community and wish to obtain Harvard material through Interlibrary Loan, consult the ILL librarian at your local library or institution.
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Information for Alumni and Alumnae Alumni and alumnae of Harvard and Radcliffe and of the University’s graduate and professional schools generally can obtain specific library privileges. The nature of these privileges will vary according to your degree or affiliation and according to the library that you wish to use. As a rule of thumb, it’s best to begin with the library of the Harvard faculty from which you earned your degree. |
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Information for Visitors The primary purpose of Harvard’s libraries is to serve the University’s current community of faculty, researchers and students. Library access and use policies for visitors vary by library. Check the access information section under the individual library listing . You must use a Harvard library workstation or be a member of the Harvard community with an active Harvard ID and PIN to access most licensed resources available on the E-Research @ Harvard Libraries web site. The HOLLIS Catalog is available to all.
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