Library Access

Online

  • All students have access to online library resources through Harvard Key.
  • Degree candidates have continual online access until the end of their final semester. Course-takers have online access from the first to the last day of the semester. 
  • For help with online research, use the Research Help page on this guide.

In-person

  • Degree candidates access the libraries and borrow materials with their Harvard ID. 
  • Course-takers can access the libraries and borrow materials with class participant cards. Please refer to the Harvard Extension School's Libraries page for detailed information about Class Participant Library Cards.

Borrowing Services

  • Scan and Deliver, which offers an electronic scan of book chapters (two per book not exceeding 20% of the work) or journal articles (two per issue) is available to all students.
  • Interlibrary Loan may be used remotely for online articles and book chapters to which Harvard doesn't have access. Print materials for Interlibrary Loan, and BorrowDirect, are only available to students on-campus, as these materials must be picked-up and returned on-campus to one of the FAS libraries within Harvard Library.
  • The Borrow, Renew and Return Library Materials webpage contains information about borrowing, renewing and returning, and accessing materials.
  • BorrowDirect Plus offers students the ability to visit Borrow Direct Plus institutions throughout the United States and receive a library card to borrow materials. (Availability of this program may vary, as some institutions might not allow visitors because of their COVID-19 policies.) 
  • A Get Scholarly Articles for Free guide helps explain various ways to get online articles for free through Harvard.

Events

Study Spaces

  • For Harvard Extension students with a Harvard ID or Class Participant Card: The Harvard Library website offers a Find a Space tool, which allows you to search for group study rooms and the availability of features like computers, laptops, printers, whiteboards, and whether or not food and drink is allowed. 
  • The Smith Campus Center has drop-in spaces, food venues, and group-study rooms for students to reserve.
  • The Harvard Extension Computer Lab provides computer facilities and staff support for all students. 

Special Collections and Archives

Alumni Access