Library

Harvard is one of the world’s most prestigious universities, and its libraries are no exception. The Harvard University Libraries span over 20 campus locations, with collections that include millions of books and magazines and millions of articles from academic journals.

Harvard University Library System

Harvard University Library System is the world’s most extensive academic library, with over 20 million volumes in its stacks and over 100 million archival items. It comprises 13 libraries on Harvard’s campus (including Widener Library) and several off-campus sites such as The Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America at Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University Archives and other special collections across Massachusetts.

The Harvard University Archives

The Harvard University Archives is the most extensive in the world and is a member of the Association of Research Libraries. The HU Archives has over 12 million items in its collection, including photos, prints and posters dating back to 1766; maps from early explorers; letters between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson; manuscripts by James Joyce and T.S. Eliot; rare books (including some written by Benjamin Franklin); and more than 1 million photographs taken by George Eastman Kodak Company researchers beginning in 1903 with their camera-like device called “Kodak No. 1.”

Harvard University Library SystemThe Harvard Law Library

The Harvard Law Library is the world’s most extensive academic law library. It is located in Langdell Hall on the Harvard Law School campus and is open to the public. The library contains over 2.5 million volumes, including rare books that date back to the 15th century.

The collection includes more than 460,000 bound periodicals from around the globe as well as thousands of government documents and reports; federal court decisions dating back to 1790; foreign legal materials from over 100 countries; microforms containing newspapers and magazines from all over North America; audio recordings of lectures given at Harvard University since 1930 (including 23 hours of Supreme Court oral arguments); manuscripts written by notable figures such as John Adams, Louis Brandeis and Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.; photographs depicting essential moments in history such as President Franklin Roosevelt signing Social Security legislation into law or Rosa Parks refusing bus driver James Blake’s order that she give up her seat at Montgomery City Lines Terminal Station after they crossed state lines into Alabama territory where Jim Crow laws were still enforced despite being unconstitutional under federal law.

The Harvard Medical Library

The Harvard Medical Library is located in the Longwood Medical Area, a Boston neighbourhood home to many medical schools and institutions. The library is part of Harvard Medical School and has over 3 million volumes. The library participates in the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NNLM), which means it provides access to resources through interlibrary loans, electronic journals and databases, as well as other services like reference assistance and workshops for patrons who use assistive technologies such as adaptive equipment or screen readers.

The Harvard Business School's Baker Library

The Harvard Business School’s Baker Library is the most extensive business library in the world. It contains over 1 million volumes and 500,000 microforms, as well as a collection of rare books. The library also has a collection of business history materials and maintains an extensive finding aid for its readers.

Takeaway

The library is excellent if you want to study in a quiet environment. If you prefer a more social atmosphere, there are plenty of places on campus to meet other students and make friends. And if you want somewhere comfortable and relaxing where no one will bother you or disturb your reading, then the library has your back!

HARVARD UNIVERSITY