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. They include:

• 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 fill approximately 15,000 running feet of shelving)
• 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 1996-1997