Services/Access for Persons with Disabilities

HCL libraries are committed to providing equal access to collections, services, and programs for all Harvard students, faculty, and staff. To this end, library staff will make every reasonable effort to assist users with disabilities. We strongly advise telephone or e-mail inquiries in advance of on-site visits.

The services that are available at all HCL libraries include: assistance with physical access to the buildings, retrieval of materials from the stacks, assistance with searching HOLLIS or other electronic resources, photocopying, and reference and other assistance by appointment.

See Computers, Scanners, Copiers, etc. for information about adaptive technologies available in some libraries.

Select A Library


Cabot Science Library
Services/Access for Persons with Disabilities

Cabot Science Library is located on the first floor of the Science Center. Access is through the doors facing the north gates of Harvard Yard. Elevators and bathrooms within the library and the Science Center are accessible.

There are four wheelchair accessible workstations and a networked printer in the reference area. Two workstations in the reference area are equipped with Zoomtext 8.0. There is an accessible elevator within the library. Inquire at the Circulation Desk for the key.

An Optilec Spectrum color enlarger, located in the Reference area, is available for use by anyone within the Harvard community.

Circulation Desk staff will assist patrons with out-of-reach items.

For more information or to arrange for assistance in advance contact:
Allen Bourque, Head of Circulation and Technical Services
E-mail
617-496-8805
617-595-5324

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Fine Arts Library
Services/Access for Persons with Disabilities

Access to the Fine Arts Library for persons with disabilities is available at the Prescott Street entrance. Elevators and accessible restrooms are also available.

Large-print computer workstation monitors are available.

Circulation Desk staff will assist patrons with out-of-reach items.

For more information or to arrange for assistance in advance contact:

Ronald H. Tesler, Reader Services Librarian
E-mail
 617-384-7382
or
Access Services
E-mail
617-384-7922

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Fung Library
Services/Access for Persons with Disabilities

The Fung Library is accessible through the main entrance of the Knafel Building on Cambridge Street. Take the elevator one floor down to the concourse level for the library. Elevators and accessible bathrooms are located just outside the library entrance.

Circulation Desk staff will assist patrons with out-of-reach items.

For more information or to arrange for assistance in advance contact the Circulation Desk at 617-496-0485.

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Harvard-Yenching Library
Services/Access for Persons with Disabilities

Basement-level Chinese stacks to be closed June 6 - September 14, 2008

Over the summer part of the compact shelving system in the basement-level Chinese stacks area of Harvard-Yenching Library will be replaced. 

From June 6 – September 14, 2008, the area will be off limits to patrons and to staff. 

Affected collections:

  • Chinese-language HY collection (100 - 9999 , including folio/oversize works)
  • Chinese-language LC collection from (C)A – (C)PL2680

            (LC = Library of Congress cataloging system; HY = Harvard-Yenching cataloging system)

The Korean and Vietnamese collections will NOT be affected.  Basement-level staff offices will also remain open.  See the Harvard-Yenching Library Map.

We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience as we improve our facilities.  If there is anything we can do to facilitate your research given these limitations, please e-mail Access Services or the Reference Desk or call 617-495-2756.

 

Access to the library is through the side entrance of the building. An elevator and accessible restroom and telephone are available. There is no wheelchair access to the second floor; access to floors other than the first is possible but requires special arrangements.

For more information or to arrange for assistance in advance contact:
Access Services
E-mail
617-495-2756

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Houghton Library
Services/Access for Persons with Disabilities

Houghton's front door is accessible via a flight of steps up from the level of Quincy Street. Alternative access without stairways is available upon request. Houghton readers may also be accommodated in the Harvard Theatre Collection.

Elevator access is available upon request at the Reading Room Desk. Special rooms on the second floor, viewable by appointment, are accessible by elevator.

In order to preserve relative quiet for our readers, we ask laptop computer users to turn off all audible features if possible. Readers who need to work with specially equipped machines, including text-to-speech, should contact Reading Room staff in advance to be sure of accommodations.

Magnifying glasses and table lamps are available upon request in the Reading Room.

For more information or to arrange for assistance in advance contact:
Public Services
617-495-2440
or
Librarian's Office
617-495-2441

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Lamont Library *
Services/Access for Persons with Disabilities

* Including Environmental Information Services, Numeric Data Services, Government Information Services, and Woodberry Poetry Room

The Lamont building is wheelchair accessible by a ramp located to the left of the main entrance, near Quincy Street. Two elevators service all floors of the library.

Many of the workstations in the Reference Room on the main floor are wheelchair accessible. An accessible photocopier is located on Level 1.

Patrons registered with the Accessible Education Office may request to have circulating materials picked up in advance by sending an e-mail that includes a full bibliographic citation (title, author, and call number) of each title you wish to have paged from the stacks. Please request no more than 10 items from the stacks per day. The request will be confirmed by e-mail and the items will be kept on the Hold Shelf at the Circulation Desk.

Lamont has a TDD/TTY phone located at the Reference Desk, which is available by appointment. Hearing-impaired scholars, students, and staff may contact Linda Collins via e-mail to schedule a time. The TDD/TTY is not available for outgoing calls by library users.

A laptop loaded with JAWS software is available for patrons registered with the Accessible Education Office. The laptop may be borrowed for three hours for use in the library.

For more information or to arrange for assistance in advance contact:

Lamont Government Documents Woodberry Poetry Room
Linda Collins
Head of Access Services
E-mail
617-496-9938
or
Jon Lanham
Associate Librarian
E-mail
617-495-5779		 Vida Margaitis
Reference/Documents Librarian
E-mail
617-496-2536		 Peter Steinberg
Woodberry Poetry Room Assistant
E-mail
617-495-2454

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Loeb Music Library
Services/Access for Persons with Disabilities

The library is accessible from the Music Building (Paine Hall) entrance. Follow the signs down the main corridor to the library entrance. An elevator services all floors of the library.

Library staff are available to retrieve any materials on request. Computer workstations, listening facilities, and work surfaces are all accessible.

For more information or to arrange for assistance in advance contact:
Public Services
E-mail
617-495-2794

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Quad Library
Services/Access for Persons with Disabilities

The library is accessible through the Campus Drive entrance across from Cabot House. An elevator and an accessible restroom and telephone are available. Transportation for students with disabilities requiring door-to-door adaptive transportation may be arranged with Shuttle Van Service at 617-495-0400.

For more information or to arrange for assistance in advance contact:
Linda Collins
Head of Access Services
E-mail
617-496-9938

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Harvard Map Collection and Harvard Theatre Collection
Services/Access for Persons with Disabilities

Both the Map Collection and the Theatre Collection are located on Level P1 of Pusey Library, which is accessible through the front door of Lamont Library. Please call in advance to make arrangements to visit:

Map Collection
617-495-2417

Theatre Collection
617-495-2445

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Tozzer Library
Services/Access for Persons with Disabilities

The front entrance of the library is wheelchair accessible, and there is an elevator and an accessible restroom in the building.

For more information or to arrange for assistance in advance contact:
Gregory Finnegan, Head of Reference
E-mail
617-495-2253

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Widener Library
Services/Access for Persons with Disabilities

Enter the library through the Mass. Ave. Door at the back of the building. The security guard can give directions and also has printed handouts of directions to key locations. Elevators go to all levels of the building and most bathrooms are accessible.

The Atkins Reference Room on the second floor has two computers equipped with Zoomtext 8.0 and JAWS software; one has the capability to play back materials in CD format. Headphones for use with JAWS are available at the desk. A CCTV system for enlarging printed text is available upon request.  If you require use of the CCTV, please contact Elizabeth McKeigue by e-mail or at 617-496-4023, or ask for assistance at the Widener Reference Desk.

Users with disabilities are advised to schedule a preliminary, in-person consultation to discuss their research and physical access needs and for a brief orientation to the building and library services.

For further information contact:
Elizabeth McKeigue, Research Librarian
E-mail
Tel: 617-496-4023

Paging Materials

After a preliminary research consultation, you can request materials in advance via e-mail. The message should include a full bibliographic citation (title, author, and call number) of each title you wish to have paged from the stacks. Please request no more than 10 items from the stacks per day. If you have a Harvard ID and PIN, materials that are in the Harvard Depository (HD) or already on loan may be requested or recalled through the HOLLIS catalog. The number of items requested from HD is not limited. You will receive an e-mail when items are ready to be picked up. Materials are usually available within 24 to 48 hours. Circulating items may be picked up at the Widener Circulation Desk. Non-circulating items and bound periodicals must be used in the Phillips Reading Room.

For more information on paging services contact:
Phillips Reading Room Supervisor
E-mail
 Tel: 617-384-9421

Scanning and Photocopying Materials

A wheelchair-accessible self-service scanner is located in the Phillips Reading Room. ADA-compliant photocopiers are located throughout Widener Library. Patrons who cannot operate the self-service copiers due to a disability may take materials to Imaging Services on the ground floor of Widener, Monday–Friday, 9:00 am to 4:45 pm. Staff will photocopy at the same rate as self-service copiers. (For copying and scanning cost information, see Copiers/Scanners/Crimson Cash.) Imaging Services will accept orders arranged in advance for materials held in Widener. You must provide a full bibliographic citation and the call number of the book. Reproductions of Harvard College Library materials are subject to Licensing and Copyright restrictions.

For materials that cannot be removed from the Library, Imaging Services will scan items at no charge, and will transfer the scanned texts to the appropriate disabilities-services coordinator or disabilities service provider (e.g. FAS ATL) for further processing (e.g. transformation of scanned pages into machine-readable text, creation of braille texts, text enlargement on-screen).  Please note that the FAS Adaptive Technology Lab only serves Harvard College and GSAS students.  Students from other faculties need to coordinate services with their school’s disabilities-services coordinator.   Requests for scanning services should be initiated by a Harvard librarian that is working with the student to secure access to non-circulating materials, and who has first confirmed that the student-patron is registered with the FAS Accessible Education Office or with a non-FAS disabilities services coordinator.  For materials that circulate, the items should be checked out and copied at the FAS Adaptive Technology Lab, or at a similarly equipped facility as directed by the student’s disabilities-services coordinators for all other Harvard schools.

For more information on making arrangements for photocopy service contact:
Lynn White, Manager, Patron Services
E-mail
Tel: 617-495-3995

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