8. Library Privileges
A valid Harvard ID is all you need to enter any library at Harvard. Your Harvard ID is also your library borrowing card in every library of Harvard College which circulates materials.
An Extended Loan Period Program is available to G1-G3 GSAS students in the Widener, Fine Arts, and Loeb Music libaries -- apply at the Library Privileges Office in Widener Library. (Graduate students G4 and above automatically receive Extended Loan privileges at all units of the Harvard College Library; see the HCL Loan Periods chart.)
Spouses
Spouses of graduate students are eligible to apply for a Special Borrower Card. Contact the Library Privileges Office, Widener Library, Room 130, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, tel: 617-495-4166, e-mail: widpriv@fas.harvard.edu for more information.
MIT
Harvard graduate students may use the libraries of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology by first applying at the Library Privileges Office in Widener Library, Room 130, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, tel: 617-495-4166, e-mail: widpriv@fas.harvard.edu.
Other U.S. Libraries
Boston Public Library in Copley Square in Boston boasts a research collection with well over 6,000,000 titles. The Research Library collections are in closed stacks and may not be borrowed. Anyone may use materials in the Research Library by obtaining either a library card (if a resident of Massachusetts) or a courtesy card (if a non-resident).
The Cambridge Public Library has useful collections of popular contemporary materials, as well as local history holdings.
There are many other research collections at Boston area university libraries. The Boston College Libraries (excluding the Law Library) are open to the public.
If you are interested in visiting other academic libraries, contact them directly. It is highly recommended that you contact the library first before making a visit. To find contact addresses and telephone numbers for any library in the United States, Ask a Librarian.
Foreign and Overseas Libraries
There are many non-U.S. libraries that belong to the Research Libraries Group (RLG), including The British Library, Le Bibliothèque nationale de France, and the University of Oxford. Consult the list of RLG member institutions for more information about which universities have membership.
We strongly suggest that you contact a non-Harvard library before you make a visit, whether that library is in Boston or in Barcelona. To obtain contact information for any library in the world, Ask a Librarian.