Programs and Services in Lamont

A quick run-down of the teams and departments working through Lamont Library.

HARVARD MAP COLLECTION

Located in Pusey Library, the Harvard Map Collection (HMC) is the home to the majority of the Harvard Library’s geographic materials.  The collection is global in scope and holds 500,000 paper maps at all scales from street level to planetary (including celestial and lunar maps).  The collection also contains geospatial data meant for use in Geographic Information Systems,  much of which  is downloadable from the Harvard Geospatial Library. There are ~10,000 atlases, reference works, cartobibliographies and scholarly works on geography, GIS, remote sensing, the history of cartography and related topics. 

Only a small portion of our paper materials have been cataloged in HOLLIS, therefore a complete search requires consulting the card catalog in the reading room.  Similarly, not all of our GIS data sets are in the Harvard Geospatial Library.  Researchers are encouraged to consult with a reference librarian in maps to explore additional search strategies.  The best way to contact us is via maps@harvard.edu. 

The HMC offers GIS and cartographic consulting and assistance on a walk in basis or by appointment. We also provide scanning and large format reproductions of materials from the collection.  There is a fee for both scanning and printing services. We do not scan outside materials.  There is a self service scanner available with a scanning bed of 17x22 that can be used for outside items.

REFERENCE AND RESEARCH

Research Services at Lamont helps students, faculty, and staff at all stages of the research process. This includes answering questions asked in person at the Unified Service Point, asked online and via chat through the Ask a Librarian service. We have an active instruction program; librarians visit classrooms to teach research skills tailored for a specific class or discipline, and we teach workshops on research tools and skills like reference management software. We work closely with our colleagues in MMDGI and across the libraries in the FAS and the entire campus.

Vital Links

Librarian Launchpad

MEDIA LAB

The Multimedia Lab at Lamont (or "Media Lab" for short) is where the Harvard Community can come to create multimedia content. Video, audio, animation, data visualization, presentations, large-format printing, and everything in between is possible through the hardware and software maintained by the Media Services staff, including an energetic group of hard-working student employees.

All the basic info you need to know about the Media Lab can be found on our website: https://library.harvard.edu/services-tools/lamont-multimedia-lab

For immediate assistance, you can always find us on the #media-lab channel on Lamont's Slack.

ACCESS SERVICES

Our team of Lamont Access Services staff and student workers provide support to the Harvard Community by:

• Staffing the library's AskUs Desk and opening/closing the building.
• Managing circulation and shelving operations.
• Circulating the largest and most used Course Reserves and Circulating Multimedia Tech collections on campus.

• Maintaining Lamont Library’s physical collection.

• Providing access and support for U.S. and Foreign Government materials.

• Processing item requests for Harvard Direct and Resource Sharing.

• Pack bins and transfer materials between libraries and off-site storage.

• And more!

For immediate assistance, you can always find us on the #unified-service-point channel on Lamont's Slack or contact us at lamcirc@fas.harvard.edu.

For information about library borrowing policies, see: https://library.harvard.edu/how-to/borrow-renew-and-return-library-materials