Service

BorrowDirect

BorrowDirect is often the fastest way to borrow something not available at Harvard. It also gives you access to partner libraries.

BorrowDirect allows Harvard students, faculty and staff to request items from partner libraries for delivery to Harvard, free of charge.

If you have already searched HOLLIS and the book or item you need is not available, try searching our partner institutions collections in BorrowDirect.

Search Borrow Direct

 

What to know:

  • Available materials usually arrive within four business days and must be picked up in person.
  • You will be notified via email when your materials are available for pickup.
  • Loans are for 16 weeks; renewals are not allowed.
  • View pending requests in your BorrowDirect account; view checked-out materials in your HOLLIS account.
  • BorrowDirect materials can be returned to any Harvard library.
  • Please consult our BorrowDirect FAQs to learn more about BorrowDirect. 

What Can Be Borrowed

  • All printed books and music scores that are lent by the owning library

What Can't Be Borrowed

  • Books available through Harvard Library are not available through BorrowDirect
  • Books assigned to reference, reserve, or rare book collections by the owning library
  • Bound journals or journal articles

If you are on-site at a partner library...

Harvard students and faculty can visit and check out books at BorrowDirect libraries using their Harvard ID.

What to know:

  • You'll need your Harvard ID. A staff member at the partner library will ask you to log in to your BorrowDirect account as authorization for access.
  • Books you borrow directly from one of these partners should be returned directly to the owning library, not to a Harvard Library facility.

BorrowDirect libraries

  • Brown University Library
  • Columbia University Libraries
  • Cornell University Library
  • Dartmouth Library
  • Duke University Libraries
  • Harvard Library
  • Johns Hopkins University, The Sheridan Libraries
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Libraries
  • Penn Libraries
  • Princeton University Library
  • Stanford Libraries
  • The University of Chicago Library
  • Yale Library

Read more about BorrowDirect