Harvard University Library System
Harvard's Library is a system or federation
of more than 90 library units, ranging in collection size from a few hundred
volumes to several million volumes. Its mission is to support the University's
teaching and research activities by acquiring, organizing, preserving,
and making available library collections in all media and formats; by providing
intellectual access to materials and information outside the University;
and by providing facilities and services for research and study. This system
of separate institutions with shared responsibilities works cooperatively
to serve the needs of teachers, researchers and students throughout the
University.
The University Library (HUL) coordinates
efforts critical to the entire library system. The programs include:
-
HUL Administration - Provides administrative services to
the departments of HUL, publishes internal organs, newsletters, and a quarterly
scholarly journal
-
Office for Information Systems - Oversees, plans and maintains
the on-line catalog and other bibliographic databases
-
Preservation and Conservation - Reformats brittle at-risk
books and works to conserve and restore special collections
-
University Archives and Administrative Records Management
- Holds the historical record of the University and other special collections
-
Harvard Depository - An off site, state-of-the-art storage
and retrieval facility in Southborough, MA
-
Digital Initiative - a multi-year effort to develop an operational
infrastructure to integrate digital materials
The books and pamphlets recorded here constitute only
a portion of the Library's collections. Some of the other holdings throughout
the library system include:
-
Microfilm holdings - reels, microcards, microfiches, and
microprint sheets - exceed 8.146 million
-
Manuscripts make up most of the University Archives and there
are large collections in other units, notably the Law School Library (1.5
million) and the Houghton Library (4 to 5 million items)
-
Ephemera - the Theatre Collection contains more than 5 million
items (playbills, photographs, etc.); other ephemera in the Houghton fill
about 4,000 running feet of shelving,
-
Visual collections of the Fine Arts Library include over
1.5 million items and number over 5 million University wide
-
Sound recordings in the Loeb Music Library number nearly
51,000
-
Maps housed in the map collections of the Harvard College
Library in Pusey and in the Kummel Geological Sciences Library exceed 500,000.
SOURCE: HARVARD UNIVERSITY LIBRARY ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000
Updated 05/09/01
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