Access to non-MIT libraries

For members of the MIT community

Harvard Libraries

Privileges for MIT faculty, students and staff at Harvard's collections:

Harvard College Library | Apply for access

Using the HCL Special Borrower card, MIT faculty, research staff, and graduate students are eligible for borrowing privileges at:

• Cabot
• Fine Arts
• Loeb Music
• Tozzer
• Widener

On-site-only access is available at:

• Harvard-Yenching
• Houghton
• Lamont

Additionally, the card allows borrowing or access privileges at:

• Frances Loeb Library (Design)
• Specific Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences Libraries:
  • Blue Hill Meteorological
  • Center for European Studies
  • Gordon McKay
  • Wolbach

Important Note: The HCL Special Borrower card is NOT honored at these Harvard libraries:

• Baker (Business)
• Countway (Science, Medicine and Technical collections)
• Gutman (Education)
• Harvard Law School
• Kennedy School of Government

Baker and Countway have separate agreements for access.

Terms of borrowing, renewals, overdue fines, use of reserves, etc., are set by the individual libraries. The usual borrowing period is one month.

You are not eligible for extended reference services or interlibrary loan services.

Other Collections and Categories of Use

Members of the MIT community who are not eligible for any of the formal agreements described above, or who desire access to any of Harvard's collections with which MIT does not have such an arrangement, should consult an MIT reference librarian.

Depending upon the circumstance, it is often possible either to make a special arrangement with Harvard or to identify other area collections.