Literature: A Research Guide for Graduate Students and Faculty

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Plugins and bookmarks

• How to get scholarly articles for free describes the top tools for getting Harvard Library access anywhere on the web, including Google Scholar library links and the Check Harvard Library Bookmark.
• Pro tips:
  • BrowZine is also a great way to keep up with the latest research in your field - use the "bookshelf" feature to create groups of journals you want to track.
  • LibKey Nomad is an alternative to Lean Library - personally, I prefer LibKey Nomad. Download the plugin from Third Iron and select Harvard University. (If you don’t find an option to select Harvard, try the workarounds from ThirdIron Customer support.) Beware: LibKey Nomad does not work for JSTOR; use the Check Harvard Library bookmark instead.

Troubleshooting

Plugins and bookmarks will find about 80% of the access that Harvard Library makes available to you. Here's what to do when they fail:

• Check HOLLIS, the library's main search tool, or ask us and a librarian can help you locate access.
• Know how to clear your cache and cookies (and/or try a different browser)

Stay Informed

• Library Updates (an email every few months) keeps you informed about new or updated library services. 
• Unabridged Events (an email every month or two) is the email list for workshops from our library intensive for graduate students.

Request a carrel (requires HarvardKey)

• Carrels are shared desks located inside the Widener stacks. On-site Widener materials can be checked out to your carrel and shelved there.
  • Request a study carrel. Note: response times are slower at the start of term due to the large volume of requests.

Get to know Harvard's libraries and collections

• Your first weeks at Harvard are a great time to explore broadly and get ideas about collections and materials you can make creative use of in your research.
  • Locations & Hours lists many different Harvard libraries. Follow the link to a library's home page to learn more about that library's strengths and special features
  • Explore collections to get a sense of the huge range and variety of collections across different libraries

Find your touchstone databases

• Harvard licenses thousands of databases and e-resources. Now is the time to explore and get a sense of what might be out there: the "Find a Database" section of this guide tells you how.

Learn to use Zotero

• The Harvard Library research guide for Zotero has installation instructions as well as information about classes and the Zotero user group. Zotero is free software that grabs citations for you, helps you organize your .pdfs, and produces bibliographies in almost any citation style.

Sign your individual open-access license

• A voluntary open-access license that you should sign before you send any manuscripts to publishers. Signing the authorization form opts you in to the same rights as Harvard faculty, allowing you to post your publications to your own website or to repositories like DASH.

Learn about Digital Scholarship

• Take the Certificate Program in Digital Scholarship to build your digital competencies and make your skills more visible.