Get Started
CONNECT YOUR BROWSER TO LIBRARY ACCESS (requires HarvardKey)
Always check with the library before paying for access to anything - we provide a lot more access than meets the eye!
- The Harvard Library Bookmark allows you to reload webpages via your HarvardKey. This will get you past the paywall for about 80% of the material we license.
- Connecting Google Scholar to your library access adds "Try Harvard Library" links to your search results: these will take you to the best bet for HarvardKey access.
- If you have any trouble getting access to articles, check HOLLIS, the library's main search tool, or ask us for help. (See "How to Use Your Harvard Key to Get Online Articles for Free" for more details.)
- Library resources can be finicky: it's a good idea to have at least two browsers installed (e.g. Firefox and Chrome), and familiarize yourself with the steps for clearing your cache and cookies.
STAY INFORMED
- Sign up to receive notifications (an email every 2-4 weeks) about new or updated library services.
REQUEST A CARREL (requires HarvardKey)
Graduate students are eligible to have a carrel in the Widener stacks, including a small locker space. Consider fingerless gloves - the stacks are on the chilly side!
- Start the process with the carrel request form. Confirmation may take a few weeks, especially at the start of term. Check Widener stacks materials out to your carrel, including non-circulating materials like bound periodicals.
EXPLORE COLLECTIONS
There are over 70 Harvard libraries, and more collections than you will be able to get to. Your first weeks on campus are a great time to generate ideas about collections and kinds of materials you may want to work with.
- Discover the range of materials with Explore Collections on library.harvard.edu and Harvard Digital Collections (already-digitized materials).
- Dig deeper with each library's home page: from Locations & Hours, select a library name to learn more about the history and organization of our collections, plus special highlights.
FIND YOUR TOUCHSTONE DATABASES (requires HarvardKey)
Harvard licenses thousands of databases and e-resources. Now is the time to familiarize yourself, so you can navigate quickly to what you need as your deadlines approach.
- See "Find a Database" on this guide for top picks and search tips.
MAKE A BROWZINE ACCOUNT (requires HarvardKey)
Keep up with the latest research in your field.
- Make a BrowZine account, add journals to your bookshelf, and browse recent issues. Use the the app to log in from a phone or tablet.
- ALL ABOUT...Getting to Know Your Field (web page) has more tips from librarians via Unabridged: A Master Class in Library Research.
LEARN ZOTERO
Software that grabs citations for you and helps you organize all of your research, notes, and PDFs in one easily accessible place on your computer or in the cloud.
- The library offers support for several tools, including classes at the start of every term. We recommend Zotero for the humanities and social sciences: most of your data will easily export if you decide to switch tools later.
PROTECT YOUR COPYRIGHT
Do this BEFORE you publish, to ensure that you retain the right to your own work.
- Sign your individual open-access license to opt-in to the rights that Harvard faculty have to make their publications openly accessible and easy to find via DASH as well as posting to their personal websites.
- Learn more about how the library's Office of Scholarly Communication helps protect your copyright.
