Page Comparison

Download Harvard Library Objectives in Action

div#children-section.pageSection
{
/*This code removes the unsightly "child pages" section from the page, which is unnecessary given the other navigation tools that are available. */
display: none;
}

Table of Contents

Overview

This page provides information about the history and mission of the Harvard Library with links to its programs, initiatives, news, and events.

History

Harvard’s libraries are rooted in the 1638 bequest of 400 books from John Harvard, and today they hold the largest academic collection in the world. More than 70 libraries in four cities and two continents contain approximately 18 million volumes, 13 million digital files, more than 100,000 serial titles, 10 million photographs and millions of manuscripts, musical recordings, films and artifacts. These materials, and the expertise of Library staff members, support more than 20,000 students, 2,100 faculty members and 13,000 staff members, 10,500 hospital-based faculty members and an international community of scholars.

Mission Statement

The Harvard Library advances scholarship and teaching by committing itself to the creation, application, preservation and dissemination of knowledge.

Learn More about the Harvard Library on the Web

• Harvard Library Website
• Harvard Library News and Events
• Harvard Library Twitter Feed
• Harvard Library YouTube Playlist
• Digital Scholarship @ Harvard Twitter Feed
• Ask a Librarian
• Office for Scholarly Communication Twitter Feed

Library Tours

For more information on tours of Houghton Library and Widener Library, click here. For information on Cabot Science Library tours, click here.