This guide will help you find and use library resources while you are learning away from the Harvard Law School campus.
The COVID-19 situation is stressful, but the HLS Library is here for you. Use this guide as a single point to find information about library services, and how to get the research and course materials you need.
Looking for your course readings?
If your Casebook is published by West or Wolters Kluwer (check the attached lists if you aren't sure), use the instructions below to register for online access.
Check your course Canvas modules for scanned course readings
Search HOLLIS for ebooks and online articles
If your readings aren't available, please email research@law.harvard.edu.
Please note that West Academic Publishing is allowing temporary access only for titles that are required for your class and not currently available to you.
West Academic Publishing has generously granted Harvard Law School access to their e-books (West Academic, Foundation Press, etc.) to support our remote educational needs. West is supporting law schools across the country, so please only request books if you do not have access to the print.
If you do not have access to your print casebook and need electronic access for required reading titles in your class, please first set up your own account here: https://eproducts.westacademic.com/. Then call West Academic Publishing's support line (877) 888-1330, Ext. #4. Their customer service representatives will complete the process to allow remote access for any of your course-required e-books that are no longer available to you. Students may also contact the publisher via e-mail a support@westacademic.com if they are unable to reach a representative by phone.
They have additionally, offered to provide temporary trial access to their Online Study Aid library which may be accessed here. On this platform you will find access to their Nutshell series; Hornbooks; audio lectures; and more.
If you experience any issues or do not find a title that is supposed to be on course reserve for your class, please contact Research Services.
Wolters Kluwer has graciously opened their casebook platform to students and faculty for the spring semester.
Please follow the instructions below.
Please note that at this time, student downloads from the VitalsSource platform are limited to 7 titles, regardless of publisher, and trial access will expire on Monday, May 25th, 2020. Once you borrow a title it cannot be returned during the spring semester, so please be careful that you select the titles you need. Supplements count as a separate title and might not appear linked with the casebook.
VITALSOURCE HELPS PROGRAM
1. To get started, students should visit bookshelf.vitalsource.com and log-in or create a Bookshelf account with their institution-provided email address. (Read instructions on creating a Bookshelf account for both students and instructors if you need help registering.)
2. Once students create an account with an institution-provided email address, they should log in and click on the “Explore” tab in the upper left corner of the screen. This tab provides access to the freely available e-textbooks.
For a complete list of VitalSource frequently asked questions regarding access to the VitalSource Helps Program, please visit their site to learn more.
If you experience any issues or do not find a title that is supposed to be on course reserve for your class, please contact Research Services.
The library also already subscribes to some of the publisher’s legal study aids.
If you do not have physical access to the Bluebook, HSLS will provide you with a key for the online version. Please contact Research Services if you require a key.
Due to the circumstances created by the coronavirus outbreak, Stata is providing HLS students with a temporary license that can be installed on your personal machines. The license will expire on June 1, 2020. Please contact research@law.harvard.edu if you need access to Stata for your academic work.
The digital resources of the Law School Library are available to enrolled students through VPN access
We are here to support you with opportunities for remote instruction, course materials, and teaching and learning. If you have questions about any library services while you are off campus, please reach out to research@law.harvard.edu and we will answer promptly.
If you need additional materials during this time of online teaching and learning, please email the Harvard Law School Library at research@law.harvard.edu to request a title. If a title is available electronically, the HLSL Acquisitions Unit will make every effort to make it available.
In many cases, the title you seek may not be available in electronic format. Please indicate if you’d like it to be purchased in print format and made available to you when normal operations resume. Due to ongoing global circumstances and anticipated backlogs, we cannot guarantee timely receipt of your print requests and appreciate your patience.
Borrowing print materials has been suspended until further notice. Items will no longer be requestable in HOLLIS. BorrowDirect and interlibrary loan have also been halted for the time being. The scan and deliver service is also currently paused .
Check library.harvard.edu for the most up-to-date information about Harvard Library services.
If you need help related to your course Canvas sites or Zoom access for remote learning, HLS ITS and the Library's Teaching, Learning & Curriculum team are available to help.
Historical & Special Collections (HSC) is closed, but HSC staff are responding to research queries and holding research consultations remotely. Because staff are not onsite, reproduction services are limited to providing high-resolution copies of already-digitized images. To ask a question or get help, please email specialc@law.harvard.edu
To address our unprecedented global and immediate need for access to reading and research materials, the Internet Archive will suspend waitlists for the 1.4 million (and growing) books in their lending library by creating a National Emergency Library to serve the nation’s displaced learners. This suspension will run through June 30, 2020, or the end of the US national emergency, whichever is later.
We recognize that access to physical materials is a concern for many students, so we offer the following guidance for checked-out materials:
You may take any regular loan books with you that you need for the spring and summer, and return them when you are done with the books. The library is taking steps to ensure nothing will be due before the end of the semester, and that materials will auto-renew to September.
We will extend due dates, reset renewal periods, and turn off recalls and overdue fines.
Contact us with any questions about your checked-out books, including any “book overdue” emails you may receive: access@law.harvard.edu
During the week of March 16, If you have books to return during before you leave campus, there will be a returns cart in the foyer by the Library’s Areeda entrance. Due to remote work conditions, processing returns might be delayed. Contact us with any questions about returned books, including any “book overdue” emails you may receive: access@law.harvard.edu
If you are not returning to campus, please mail your books to:
Harvard Law School Library
1545 Massachusetts Avenue
Langdell Hall 262
ATTN: Circulation
Cambridge, MA 02138
Please include a note in the package to let us know these are checked out books you are returning. Books may be returned at book rate or ground shipping.
NOTE: Please return Reserve materials, and do not take them off campus.
During this time of uncertainty, we care about your health and well-being, both mental and physical. We know there is a lot of misinformation floating around, and we are here to help you. Please use this page to locate accurate information about the virus, as well as up to date information from the university.
Misinformation can spread quickly during a crisis. These fact-checking resources can help you evaluate the truthfulness of what you hear.
Questions about...
Circulation, access and general Library information: access@law.harvard.edu
Research and course materials: research@law.harvard.edu
Historical & Special Collections: specialc@law.harvard.edu
Canvas course websites: tlc@law.harvard.libanswers.com
Still need help? Search our FAQ at asklib.law.harvard.edu