harvard library

HARVARD LIBRARY

Lauren Balliet

The Basics

• Library system of Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

• Founded in 1638• Over 16 million items• System of more than 70 libraries (or 90,

depending who’s counting)• HOLLIS online catalog• Limited access

The Basics

• Oldest library system in the US• Second largest academic library in the US• Largest private library system in the world• Some of the largest specialized libraries in the

world

So how many libraries?

• Harvard College Library• Harvard University Library:– Office for Information Systems– Weissman Preservation Center– Harvard Depository– Harvard University Archives– Office for Scholarly Communication

• http://lib.harvard.edu/libraries/listings_alpha.html

Birth of the Harvard Library

• John Harvard and the college in New Towne

• 400 volumes ofabout 329 titles

• First catalog in 1723

Near-Death of the Harvard Library

• Library burns in 1764• Gifts from individuals revive the collection• Especially Thomas Hollis V• Harvard’s first book fund

Continued Growth

• Cataloguing continues• Library as selling point for Harvard Law• The collections expand in scope• Librarians (attempt to) professionalize

Under Harris and Sibley

• Thaddeus Harris: 1831-1856• Annual reports and card catalog• Oversees move to separate building• John Langdon Sibley: 1856-1877

Into the 20th Century

• Special libraries begin to break off• Attempts to centralize• Widener Memorial Library• Changes for the librarians

Recent Directors

• Sidney Verba (1984-2007)• Digitization and becoming the model for

modern libraries• Google Books project• Robert Darnton (2007 to present)

Widener Library

Widener Library

Widener Library

• Named after Harry Elkins Widener• Founded 1915• Holds 3.5 million books• Major renovation between 1999-2004 costing

$97 million

Widener Library: Collections

• American / English language• East, South, Southeast Asian• Western European• Latin American, Spanish, Portuguese• Middle Eastern• Modern Greek• Slavic• Sub-Saharan African• Microfilmed Newspapers• Electronic Journals

Houghton Library

Houghton Library

• Opened in 1942 to meet the preservation needs of rare books

• First American library to construct separate facility for housing and study for rare books and manuscripts

Houghton Library: Collections

• Early books and manuscripts• Early modern books and manuscripts• Modern books and manuscripts• Printing and graphic arts• Harvard Theatre Collection• Theodore Roosevelt collection• Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Collection (

http://hcl.harvard.edu/libraries/houghton/exhibits/widener/)

HCL’s Other Libraries

• Cabot Science Library• Fine Arts Library• Fung Library• Harvard Film Archives• Harvard Map Collection

HCL’s Other Libraries

• Woodberry Poetry Room• Tozzer Library• Loeb Music Library• Lamont Library• Harvard-Yenching Library

Some HUL libraries

• Gutman Library• Andover-Harvard Theological Library• Harvard Law School Library

• http://lib.harvard.edu/

Resources• http://oasis.lib.harvard.edu/oasis/deliver/~gra00030• http://www.sargentmurals.bpl.org/site/index.html• http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/1998/06.04/

CountingLibrari.html• http://hcl.harvard.edu/libraries/• http://lib.harvard.edu/• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_Library• Carpenter, Kenneth E. The First 350 Years of the Haravard University

Library: Description of an Exhibition. Cambridge: Harvard, 1986.• Murray, Stuart P. The Library; An Illustrated History. Chicago; Skyhorse

Publishing, 2009.