Collections Explorer Information for Public Services Staff
Guidance for Liaisons
Collections Explorer is experimental, and we need library staff feedback to make it even better. Please try it out, compare it with other search tools, and fill out the survey with your feedback. Encourage users to try it out and give feedback but remind them it is experimental and doesn’t yet contain everything Harvard Library provides access to.
Please check out FAQs about Collections Explorer and How This System Works for more information about Collections Explorer.
How to Talk about Collections Explorer with Library Users
Collections Explorer is a new AI-driven search platform for Harvard Library’s distinctive collections. You can easily limit your results to digitized materials only using the checkbox underneath the search box.
Collections Explorer is designed to make exploring special collections easier and more intuitive, even for people new to special collections research. You can use conversational questions like “What was used before modern anesthesia?” and “Who painted the Boston gas tank?"
Instead of relying only on exact keywords, it uses semantic search (search by meaning) and natural language prompts.
Right now, it has a selection of items from Harvard's special collections, but more items will be added soon.
Please try it out and let us know what you think by filling out the survey.
Collections Explorer Update for Library Staff - Fall 2025 slide deck
