Using HOLLIS and Harvard Libraries:

Tips for Students of EDS and WJST

How do I obtain library privileges at Harvard?
Take your EDS or WJST student ID to the Privileges Office in Widener Library (Monday through Friday, 9:00am to 4:45pm). For a nominal fee (currently $3.00), you can apply for a special borrower’s card. Then, to get the actual card, go to the ID Office on the 5th floor of the Holyoke Center, two blocks away from Widener (the Privileges staff will give you directions).

What privileges does my Harvard Library borrower’s card give me?
With the borrower’s card that you sign for at Widener, you gain admission and borrowing privileges at Widener, Lamont, Andover-Harvard, Hilles, and certain other libraries. Some libraries may grant access to their collections, but not borrowing. To ascertain your privileges for a specific library, go to Special Borrower Card Information.

Is my borrower’s card the same as a Harvard ID?
The borrower’s card is not a Harvard ID, and the card number will not enable you to gain access to Harvard’s databases from computers outside the Harvard libraries. You can use your card number, together with your PIN, to make online requests from the HOLLIS catalog from any computer, for books that are stored off-campus in the Harvard Depository.

What is the PIN for?
With your card you will receive a PIN (Personal Identification Number) which will allow you to log in to "Your Account" in the HOLLIS catalog, to see which items you have checked out or requested. The PIN also enables you to request items stored in the Depository and to renew materials online (see "Renewing" for more information,). The Harvard PIN is not the same as the PIN which you get from the EDS/WJST Library.

What is HOLLIS?
An acronym for the Harvard On-Line Library Information System, named after Thomas Hollis, an early benefactor of the Harvard College Library. HOLLIS is the web-based gateway to the catalog of the Harvard University Library and other library information.

What is the web address of HOLLIS?
http://lib.harvard.edu/ (There is also a link to HOLLIS from "Other Libraries" on the EDS/WJST Library web site.)

Which library collections are listed in HOLLIS?
Most of Harvard’s library collections, including Widener, Schlesinger (for American women’s history), and Andover-Harvard (the Divinity School library), are listed in HOLLIS. The Harvard Business School’s Baker Library has its own online catalog at http://voyager.library.hbs.edu/

How can I find the hours of a particular Harvard library?
Go to the HOLLIS home page at http://lib.harvard.edu/ and select "Libraries."

How can I find out where a particular Harvard library is located?
Go to the HOLLIS home page, select "Libraries," then "Locations;" or, ask Library staff.

Can I get someone to show me where things are in Widener?
A number of tours are scheduled each semester, and the Library staff can also help you find your way around.

Where can I get access to HOLLIS in the EDS/WJST Library?
On most of the computers in our Library, you can go to HOLLIS by opening Internet Explorer to our Library’s home page, www.edswjst.org. From there, go to the "Other Libraries" page.

HOLLIS is not available from the computers on the 2nd and 3rd floors. Although the Online Catalog displays a "Portal" leading to HOLLIS and Boston College, this feature is functional only on the PC's on the main floor and lower level.