Updated: April 23, 2025
The Schlesinger Library building is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The Schlesinger Library Reading Room is open Monday through Friday from 10:00am to 4:45pm, with the building closing to researchers at 5:00pm. Please review current access policies. Please note that if it is your first visit to the Library, you will be required to show a photo ID at the reception desk on the first floor.
Friday, May 9th is Radcliffe Day. If you are planning to visit on Friday, May 9th, you must place requests through your HOLLIS Special Request account with a scheduled date of May 9th, 2025 by 5:00pm on Tuesday, May 6th. Alternatively, if you already have material on hold or material you have requested and not yet accessed that you know you would like to keep on hold through Friday, May 9th, please email us to confirm that you would like to access the material on Friday, May 9th by 5:00pm on Tuesday, May 6th. We will not be able to accommodate walk-in visitors on this day.
On Friday, May 9th, visitors who have made prior arrangements to visit the Schlesinger Library Reading Room as outlined above will be required to enter Radcliffe Yard through the Wallach Garden entrance on Brattle Street. Visitors will be asked to present a photo ID and a copy of their confirmation email from the Schlesinger Library to Harvard University security at the gate entrance.
The Library will be closed on Monday, May 26th in observance of Memorial Day.
While masks are not required in the Reading Room, we have a supply of masks available in the Reading Room for anyone interested. For assistance, please ask at the desk.
Schlesinger Library materials must be requested online using your HOLLIS Special Request account. More information available below.
Unrestricted material stored on-site at the Library may be made available day-of. However, because most of our collections are stored off-site, we strongly recommend placing your requests in advance.
Please note: Requests for material stored off-site must be placed by 2:00pm one business day in advance of your visit. For more information, please see the “A Few Things to Know” and F.A.Q. pages of our Requesting Materials Guide.
Requests for some material stored on-site requires advance notice. These items include: audiovisual material, supersized items, and material with written permission restrictions.
HOLLIS Special Request is available to all researchers and a single account can be used for all participating Harvard libraries and archives. No Harvard affiliation is required. This account allows you to manage your requests for access to Schlesinger Library’s materials. Instructions for placing requests, including how-to videos, are available in the Requesting Materials Guide. If you have questions, please reach out through the Ask a Schlesinger Librarian webform.
If you are planning to visit to access only a small number of items, you are welcome to explore our guide to placing copies for reference use to learn more about options for virtual access. We are able to copy a limited quantity of material for researchers with limits renewed every six months. The Library’s Virtual Reading Room includes previously scanned files that may cover the content you are interested in. Please contact us via Ask a Librarian to learn more.
Looking for a preview of the Reading Room Experience? Check out our Reading Room Experience Guide!
The Schlesinger Library is located in Radcliffe Yard. The address is 3 James St.; however, the library’s entrance faces the interior of Radcliffe Yard. The library entrance includes a wheelchair accessible ramp.
When you enter the library, please check in at the Reception Desk located in the lobby on the first floor directly ahead of the library entrance. If you have not created a HOLLIS Special Request account in advance, you will be asked to create an account at the reception desk. If it is your first visit, you will be required to show a photo ID.
The staff at the reception desk will direct you to place your belongings in a locker located on the library’s lower level.
Bathrooms are located on the lower level and on the first floor of the library. The bathroom on the lower level is wheelchair accessible. There are no bathrooms on the second floor where the Reading Room is located.
Contact us for more information about lactation rooms on campus.
Once you’ve stored your belongings in a locker, you can take the elevator or the stairs to the library’s second floor where the Reading Room is located. When you arrive on the second floor, please check in with the Librarian at the Reference Desk, which is located centrally in the second-floor atrium. The Librarian will provide you with directions for finding a seat in the Reading Room and then direct our Reading Room staff to retrieve the material you have requested.
If you have a research question, questions about Schlesinger Library’s collections, or are just starting a large research project, we recommend scheduling a research consultation with a Schlesinger Library Research Librarian ahead of your visit through our Ask a Librarian form. While you are visiting, the reference desk is staffed by a Schlesinger Library staff member during all open hours, so you can also get basic reference assistance throughout your visit.
Before your visit, please review the Schlesinger Library's policies and procedures.
Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America, Harvard Radcliffe Institute
3 James St. | Cambridge, MA 02138 | 617-495-8540
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