I'm a summer school student. How do I use the library?

Hello,

Welcome to Harvard!

Your Harvard ID is your library card. You'll use it to come in to the libraries, for checking out books, and for looking at articles, books and databases online.

We have some frequently requested info below. Be sure to check out our Summer School guide to using the library, and Ask a Librarian when you need help!

Electronic resources: to use our subscription resources online, you'll need a HarvardKey (unless you are on a desktop computer inside a library building).

Borrowing: To check out books at Widener, Lamont, and Cabot or most other Harvard libraries, take the book to the Circulation desk of the library.

• You can visit and use materials in many of the other libraries like the medical, government, law and business libraries, but you won't be able to check anything out. Please contact the library you have in mind before you go.

Using the Library: Our guide to using the library created just for Summer School students can help you navigate the library system at Harvard.

• Widener may be the most well-known library, and you're welcome there,, but Lamont and Cabot Science are comfortable and usable spaces for studying.

Printing and computer resources: Many Summer School students ask us about these. You can use the computers, photocopiers, scanners and printers at the library. Scanning is free in the library, but you'll need Crimson Cash to print or photocopy at a library.

• The computer labs at the 53 Church Street Computer Facility offer a wide variety of computer resources and free printing to registered students.

Wireless access: To register your laptop or other device for wireless access inside the libraries, see Connect to Harvard Wireless in the HUIT IT Help web pages.

Help: You can find help through Ask a Librarian email or chat (during business hours, we usually respond to questions within an hour or so), or at the service desks in any library.

• If you're in the library and you need immediate technical, locational or building-related assistance (especially after 5pm and on weekends), going to a service desk is usually more effective than using Ask a Librarian. 

Recreational reading: Widener and Lamont are excellent places to find novels and other recreational reading. You can look in the HOLLIS catalog by title. In Lamont, the Farnsworth room on the 3rd floor is a nice quiet study space and a room full of recreational reading materials.

If you have more questions or just need help figuring something out, use Ask a Librarian.