Atkins Reference Room (Second Floor)

Library Support for Students

Each concentration has a dedicated librarian, or library liaison, who collaborates with academic departments and is the best first contact for most questions. Students see their librarians during classroom visits and one-on-one consultations that cover everything from how to frame a topic to how to access materials. Additionally, Harvard Library offers a variety of workshops and events on topics such as tools for citation management  and data visualization.  

Students can find our workshops on the Harvard Library events calendar. They can also access immediate help via our Chat service at ask.library.harvard.edu.

The Atkins Room & Widener 240

  • The Atkins Reference Room offers large desks where students can work on our computers or their own. Printing and scanning are available. There are additional printers, photocopiers and scanners located throughout the library. 
  • This space was once filled with Widener’s massive card catalog. Students can now search the library catalog, known as HOLLIS, online at hollis.harvard.edu.
  • Widener 240, accessed via the Atkins Reading Room,  is a library teaching space. When the room is not booked for library instruction students can use it for collaborative study.

LIBRARY HOURS AND ADDITIONAL STUDY SPACES

Widener Library is typically open 9am-10pm on weekdays during term-time, with slightly shorter hours Friday-Sunday. If your student prefers a more casual environment or likes to work late into the night or get an early start, they likely use one of the two libraries that are open 24 hours most of the week:

  • Lamont Library is a popular undergraduate destination with a range of study spaces suited to collaboration or quiet study, a lab for multimedia production and data visualization. It also includes special spaces like the Farnsworth Reading Room, dedicated to leisure reading, and the Woodberry Poetry Room, a hub for creative writers.
  • Cabot Science Library offers bookable group study rooms, studios for media production, and desks designed for quiet study. The library also hosts guest speakers and maker activity events, and is where students can receive support for research in the sciences.