Harvard Divinity School Library
- Andover-Harvard Library
Address
Phone
+1 617 496 2485
Fax
History
Support for the study of religion at Harvard has had a long and important history. Almost three-fourths of the 400 volumes that John Harvard gave to the College in 1638 were theological in nature. Books on religion continued to make up a third to a half of the college’s holdings for the next two centuries. After the Divinity School was established in 1816, duplicates from the College Library were combined with new purchases to form the beginnings of a specialized library for the school. This collection was moved into Divinity Hall upon the latter’s completion in 1826.
The collection grew quickly in those early years, due largely to gifts by faculty and alumni (especially Francis Parkman, Convers Francis, Jared Sparks, James Walker, and Thomas Hill) and to the purchase of the library of Prof. G. C. F. Lücke of Göttingen (made possible by a gift from Col. Benjamin Loring). In 1887 the Divinity Library received a home of its own in a new fire-safe building constructed next to Divinity Hall.
In 1910 Harvard Divinity School and Andover Theological Seminary formed a partnership and agreed to combine their collections in a common library. Housed in the new Andover Hall, which was built by Andover Seminary on Francis Avenue in 1911, it became the Andover-Harvard Theological Library. When the Harvard-Andover educational partnership was dissolved in 1926, HDS acquired Andover Hall, and Andover Seminary's deposits remained in the library under the terms of a continuing agreement.
After 1926 HDS continued to invest heavily in the library. In 1960 a beautiful new modern facility was constructed, which was expanded significantly in 2001. Renamed the Harvard Divinity School Library in 2021, it functions today as a constituent part of the Harvard Library with its vast network of collections and services. Its staff of highly educated and service-oriented librarians develops and stewards collections and content in a wide variety of formats and provides guidance in the practice of research that makes effective use of those resources.
Geographical and Cultural Context
Harvard Divinity School Library is the primary portal to the vast resources for the study of religion available to researchers at Harvard. These resources are spread across multiple libraries and discovered through a variety of databases, and our librarians are uniquely prepared to help scholars identify, access, and use effectively all of the tools and resources needed to advance their projects.
Opening Times
9am – 5pm Library Hours
9am – 5pm Research Services
10am – 4pm Special Collections Reading Room
Accessibility
The staff of Harvard Divinity School Library is committed to meeting the needs of disabled people who use our collections and services.
Disabled students must first register with the Office of Student Life to receive accommodations at HDS. For more information, see Accessibility on the Harvard Divinity School website.
The library tries to anticipate needs in the areas listed below, and will make reasonable accommodations for individual situations. If the information here does not address your specific situation, please contact Access Services to ensure that appropriate services can be arranged.
Building access
The library's entrance in Swartz Hall is accessible. Once inside the library, all floors are accessible by elevator.
Stack access
If you are unable to retrieve materials from a shelf, library staff at the Access Services desk will help. Before asking for books, please identify the call numbers of the items desired. Staff can verify for you whether any of these items are checked out.
All restrooms in the library are accessible.
Research assistance
Photocopying and scanning Self-service photocopiers and scanners are available throughout the library. People who cannot operate them should take materials to the Access Services desk, and staff will make scans and copies at the self-service rate.
Literature searches
The library provides librarian-assisted searching of online resources that are not fully accessible to disabled people. Contact Research Services or call +1 617.496.2485 to make an appointment.
Books and journals from other libraries
Harvard Divinity School affiliates who cannot access materials at any library due to disability may contact Access Services for assistance. Before submitting requests, please identify the full bibliographic citation for each book or article.
Assistive technology
A closed-circuit television video magnifier (CCTV) is located on the first floor. This device magnifies printed text and other materials, as well as three-dimensional objects. A DVD/VHS viewer and earphones are available at the circulation desk on the first floor. A cassette and CD player is available through the research services or manuscript and archives staff (Monday-Thursday, 8:30 am-9 pm; Friday, 8:30 am-6 pm, except University holidays). Please call ahead for availability: +1 617.496.2485. For more general information, see Accessibility on the Harvard Divinity School website.
Research Services
https://library.hds.harvard.edu/research/research-guides https://library.hds.harvard.edu/research/find-archives
Reproduction Services
Scan and Deliver is a free electronic document delivery service for the Harvard community. Submit a request and we'll scan a journal article or book chapter and deliver it to you via email.
Copies
-
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum holds copies of Holocaust-relevant archives from Harvard University