Find Books in the SEC Library and beyond

Browse our hand-picked selection of bestselling and recommended books on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. These titles are written for general audiences to foster curiosity, spark engagement, and encourage innovative thinking across scientific disciplines. Use this HOLLIS search to explore our entire print collection, or check out our specially curated reading lists in the left navigation. Discover your next great read!

Find Material Beyond the SEC Library

Library Catalog - HOLLIS

HOLLIS — Search for books, articles, media, and more. Sign in for the best results and access to full features. Learn more with the HOLLIS User Guide or Ask a Librarian.

Can’t Find It? We’ll Get It!
Need something Harvard doesn’t own? Submit an Interlibrary Loan request—a free service that gets books, articles, or other materials from libraries worldwide.

Request a purchase - If there are materials you'd like to see added to the library's collections, submit a purchase request and we will look into acquiring it. We can purchase both physical and electronic copies of materials.

Audiobooks

Your local public library is the best place to find downloadable audio books. If you are a Massachusetts resident and don't already have a Boston Public Library card, you can register for one online.

Additional Resources

• LibriVox | free public domain audiobooks
• Internet Archive | Audio Archive
• Open Culture
• Project Gutenberg

Book Recommendations

• Harvard Reads - Book recommendations from faculty and staff from the Harvard Gazette

• Harvard In Focus - Book Recommendations - Get reading this summer with classic must-reads, titles from faculty authors, and favorites from across the Harvard community.

• The New York Review of Books

Open Textbooks

• OpenStax College - Peer-reviewed. Openly licensed. 100% free.
• Open Textbook Library - Open textbooks are textbooks that have been funded, published, and licensed to be freely used, adapted, and distributed. 
• BC OpenEd - A curated collection of open textbooks, many reviewed by British Columbia faculty.
• American Institute of Mathematics - A list of open textbooks in various subdisciplines of Mathematics approved by the AIM editorial board.
• OASIS - Openly Available Sources Integrated Search (OASIS) is a search tool that aims to make the discovery of open content easier. 

The SEC Library follows the Science & Engineering Complex (SEC) building hours, which are typically Monday to Friday, 7a.m. to 7p.m.

SEAS affiliates with key card access to the building are welcome to use the SEC Library after hours and on weekends.