Welcome to the Arts, Design and Music portal at Harvard University supporting interdisciplinary exploration and research in the fields of architecture, design, music, theatre, landscape history and design, dance, film studies, art and architectural history, museum studies and the studio arts. The Arts, Design and Music portal offers a gateway to the collections, services and research tools that will introduce students, faculty, researchers and visiting scholars to these fields. Collections in the participating libraries and archives comprise all formats including published books and journals, films, video recordings, historic photographs, architectural drawings, artists' books, manuscripts, sound recordings, original prints and digital images representing a full spectrum of the visual and performing arts. This portal also offers dynamic pathways into the collections via information on special events, exhibitions, featured collections and new research tools.
Please contact us at admportal@fas.harvard.edu with any comments or suggestions.
Topics
Highlighted news and events from the Harvard University Arts, Design and Music Libraries. Additionally, see the Harvard Library News and Events.
Anne Charlotte Robertson, September 15-16, 2013
This September 15 – 16, the Harvard Film Archive will screen the work of experimental film essayist Anne Charlotte Robertson (1949 – 2012) whose films and ephemera were recently donated to the Archive.
Highlighted news and events from the Harvard University Arts, Design and Music Libraries. Additionally, see the Harvard Library News and Events.
State of the Art Sound Lab Opens at Loeb Music Library
About two dozen students, faculty and staff recently gathered for the ribbon cutting ceremony at the new Sound Studios Lab (SLab) in the Woodworth Listening Room of the Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library. The new SLab provides software and equipment for research, composition, ethnographic field research and more, through the Harvard Initiative for Teaching and Learning and a grant from the Hauser Fund.
Created and maintained by Harvard Librarians, these research guides provide assistance with finding library materials, searching electronic and print collections, citing sources and more.
Harvard Library Research Guides
Harvard Library Research GuidesBrowse by subject the hundreds of research guides created by Harvard Librarians
Created and maintained by Harvard Librarians, these research guides provide assistance with finding library materials, searching electronic and print collections, citing sources and more.
Featured: Harvard Theatre Collection Research Guide
Formed in 1901, the Harvard Theatre Collection is the oldest collection of its kind in America and one of the largest in the world. It specializes in documentary material on the history of the performing arts. Its diverse holdings encompass all manner of dramatic performance with special emphasis on the stage, music and dance, and popular entertainment. The collection also comprises a significant number of organizational and personal papers as well as photographic archives which preserve the legacies of institutions, playwrights, actors, designers and choreographers
Created and maintained by Harvard Librarians, these research guides provide assistance with finding library materials, searching electronic and print collections, citing sources and more.
Featured: Loeb Design Library Research Guides
Loeb Design Library Research & Collection GuidesFind research guides to assist in research of architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning and design, brownfields, real estate, historic preservation and several other design field topics.
Created and maintained by Harvard Librarians, these research guides provide assistance with finding library materials, searching electronic and print collections, citing sources and more.
Featured: Harvard Film Archive Collections Guide
Finding aids and information on all of the HFA’s holdings can be accessed via the Collections page of the website.
Discover highlighted art, design and music library resources.To search all Harvard e-resources, including indexes to journal articles, encyclopedias and dictionaries, and e-book, e-journal and image collections, see Harvard Library E-Resources page.
Digital Sanborn Maps, 1867-1970
Digital Sanborn Maps 1867 - 1970More than 660,000 large-scale maps of over 12,000 American towns and cities. Originally created to assist fire insurers to assess the risk of insured properties, these maps provide a compelling visual record of urban growth and change.
Discover highlighted art, design and music library resources.To search all Harvard e-resources, including indexes to journal articles, encyclopedias and dictionaries, and e-book, e-journal and image collections, see Harvard Library E-Resources page.
North American Theatre Online
North American Theatre Online A comprehensive reference work covering all aspects of the Canadian and American Theatre from colonial times to the present; it currently includes some 40,000 pages of fully-indexed major reference materials, together with records to more than 25,000 plays (with links to the full-text of those licensed by Harvard), nearly 28,000 people, 3,000 theatres, 12,500 productions and 1,500 production companies. Also included are over 5,000 images, playbills, postcards, scrapbooks and other resources.
Discover highlighted art, design and music library resources.To search all Harvard e-resources, including indexes to journal articles, encyclopedias and dictionaries, and e-book, e-journal and image collections, see Harvard Library E-Resources page.
Music Treasures Consortium
Music Treasures ConsortiumThe Music Treasures Consortium is an alliance of many libraries with holdings of unique music resources, providing online access to music manuscripts, prints and first and early editions of materials from the 16th to the 20th centuries.
Discover highlighted art, design and music library resources.To search all Harvard e-resources, including indexes to journal articles, encyclopedias and dictionaries, and e-book, e-journal and image collections, see Harvard Library E-Resources page.
On Architecture
OnArchitecture presents an curated online audiovisual portrait of the work of prominent contemporary architects. The collection includes video-interviews with designers, critics and historians and audio-visual portraits of individual projects. Additional content includes recordings of lectures, exhibitions and conference presentations.
Discover highlighted art, design and music library resources.To search all Harvard e-resources, including indexes to journal articles, encyclopedias and dictionaries, and e-book, e-journal and image collections, see Harvard Library E-Resources page.
Music Online
Music OnlineA family of audio and video collections, with liner notes: classical, world, jazz, opera, dance and spoken word recordings; music history and reference texts. Subsets of the collection are: Classical Music Library, Smithsonian Global Sound, American Song and African American Music, Contemporary World Music, Opera in Video, Dance in Video, the Garland Encyclopedia of World Music and African American Music Reference.
Discover highlighted art, design and music library resources.To search all Harvard e-resources, including indexes to journal articles, encyclopedias and dictionaries, and e-book, e-journal and image collections, see Harvard Library E-Resources page.
Loeb Music Library Digital Scores and Libretti
Loeb Music Library Digital Scores and LibrettiRare or unique scores and libretti from the collections of the Loeb Music Library, including manuscripts, annotated scores and first and early editions from the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries.
The Fine Arts Library is among the leading libraries in the world for the study of art, architecture and visual culture from antiquity to the present. Collections include comprehensive textual and visual documentation on paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture, photography, architecture, decorative arts, the history of collecting and aesthetics, art museums and the preservation of cultural property. In addition to outstanding collections of books, periodicals, exhibition catalogs, pamphlets and auction catalogs, the Library’s Special Collections contain over 2.5 million historic photographs, prints, postcards, albums, film stills, posters, rubbings and drawings.
Fine Arts Library, Littauer Center
The Fine Arts Library at Littauer Center houses circulating and special collections, periodicals, electronic and print research resources, course reserves and circulation services. All collections are accessible through HOLLIS and an extensive range of indexes may be used for locating journal articles and other content.
The Fine Arts Library is among the leading libraries in the world for the study of art, architecture and visual culture from antiquity to the present. Collections include comprehensive textual and visual documentation on paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture, photography, architecture, decorative arts, the history of collecting and aesthetics, art museums and the preservation of cultural property. In addition to outstanding collections of books, periodicals, exhibition catalogs, pamphlets and auction catalogs, the Library’s Special Collections contain over 2.5 million historic photographs, prints, postcards, albums, film stills, posters, rubbings and drawings.
Fine Arts Library DISC, Sackler Building
The Fine Arts Library Digital Images & Slides Collection (DISC) provides image resources and support for teaching and research. The collection documents the entire range of all artistic media and architecture from prehistoric to the present in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Islamic world and includes painting, drawings, sculpture, photography, decorative arts and architecture. At present, collections number over 750,000 images in both 35mm and historic lantern slide formats. Of these, approximately 300,000 images are available in digital format including all collections added since 2001. Digital collections may be searched in VIA and ARTstor.
The Fine Arts Library is among the leading libraries in the world for the study of art, architecture and visual culture from antiquity to the present. Collections include comprehensive textual and visual documentation on paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture, photography, architecture, decorative arts, the history of collecting and aesthetics, art museums and the preservation of cultural property. In addition to outstanding collections of books, periodicals, exhibition catalogs, pamphlets and auction catalogs, the Library’s Special Collections contain over 2.5 million historic photographs, prints, postcards, albums, film stills, posters, rubbings and drawings.
People, Hours and Location
Fine Arts Library, Littauer Center
- Contact our research staff for further assistance or to schedule an appointment
- Library Hours
- Directions to the Fine Arts Library, Littauer Center
Digital Images and Slide Collection, Sackler Building
- Contact our research staff for further assistance or to schedule an appointment
- Library Hours
- Directions to the Digital Images and Slide Collection, Sackler Building
The Frances Loeb Library is one of the leading architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning and design libraries in the world. Collections reflect historic, current, and emerging areas of investigation in the design fields. International in scope, and encompassing all formats (books, journals, images, photographs, rare books and archival collections, and a materials samples collection), the library’s collection strengths are in the areas of 20th and 21st century architectural design and technology, urban design, city and regional planning, and historic and contemporary landscape design.
Special Collections
Special Collections holds and actively collects rare books, and primary source research materials related to the fields of academic programs offered at the Graduate School of Design. It also holds a growing research collection of printed books by and about Le Corbusier, and materials that document the history of the school. Collections include architecture and landscape drawings and models, sketches, photographs, correspondence, manuscripts, articles and clippings, memorabilia and organizational materials. The Special Collections provides a list of collections and online finding aids.
The Frances Loeb Library is one of the leading architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning and design libraries in the world. Collections reflect historic, current, and emerging areas of investigation in the design fields. International in scope, and encompassing all formats (books, journals, images, photographs, rare books and archival collections, and a materials samples collection), the library’s collection strengths are in the areas of 20th and 21st century architectural design and technology, urban design, city and regional planning, and historic and contemporary landscape design.
Visual + Materials Collections
The Visual Collections is comprised of many non-print formats that include GSD public event recordings, digital images, 35mm slides, commercial VHS titles, CD-ROMs, historic photographs and maps and plans with focus on the geographic areas of New England, with emphasis on Boston and Cambridge, and New York.The Materials Collection is a collection of over 600 materials ranging from innovative, new materials to those found everyday in the constructed environment. The physical collection, organized into five material families – Bio-composites, Polymers, Metals, Minerals and Ceramics – allows for tactile browsing, while the database (HUID required) provides multiple points of access to meet research needs. By foregrounding material composition and functional traits, the collection allows users to rethink conventional applications and promote material experimentation in design practice.
The Frances Loeb Library is one of the leading architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning and design libraries in the world. Collections reflect historic, current, and emerging areas of investigation in the design fields. International in scope, and encompassing all formats (books, journals, images, photographs, rare books and archival collections, and a materials samples collection), the library’s collection strengths are in the areas of 20th and 21st century architectural design and technology, urban design, city and regional planning, and historic and contemporary landscape design.
People, Hours and Location
- Contact our research staff for further assistance or to schedule an appointment
- Library Hours
- Directions to the Loeb Design Library
The Harvard Film Archive is one of the largest and most significant university-based motion picture collections in the United States, with a collection of well over 25,000 items (primarily 35mm and 16mm) from around the world and from almost every period in film history. As a division of the Harvard Library, the HFA supports the research and study of cinema at Harvard by making films from its collection available for study purposes, for individual viewing appointments and for classroom screenings.
Film Conservation Lab
The Harvard Film Archive’s collection is handled by film conservators working for the Harvard Library’s Media Preservation team. Films and materials entering the collection are inspected, catalogued and if necessary, repaired before proceeding to archival storage in the film vault at the Harvard Depository. The Conservation Center, located in Central Square, also houses flatbed viewers which are available to researchers interested in viewing the HFA’s films.
The Harvard Film Archive is one of the largest and most significant university-based motion picture collections in the United States, with a collection of well over 25,000 items (primarily 35mm and 16mm) from around the world and from almost every period in film history. As a division of the Harvard Library, the HFA supports the research and study of cinema at Harvard by making films from its collection available for study purposes, for individual viewing appointments and for classroom screenings.
HFA Cinematheque
The Harvard Film Archive cinematheque and administrative offices are located in the historic Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts. Open to the public Friday through Monday, all screenings are held in the Archive's 200-seat theater featuring pristine film and digital projection.
The Harvard Film Archive is one of the largest and most significant university-based motion picture collections in the United States, with a collection of well over 25,000 items (primarily 35mm and 16mm) from around the world and from almost every period in film history. As a division of the Harvard Library, the HFA supports the research and study of cinema at Harvard by making films from its collection available for study purposes, for individual viewing appointments and for classroom screenings.
People, Hours and Location
The Harvard Film Archive collections are available to Harvard faculty and students as well as researchers and scholars from outside the university.
- Contact our research staff for further assistance or to schedule an appointment
- Collection Hours
- Directions to the Harvard Film Archive
Formed in 1901, the Harvard Theatre Collection is the oldest collection of its kind in America and one of the largest in the world. It specializes in documentary material on the history of the performing arts. Its diverse holdings encompass all manner of dramatic performance with special emphasis on the stage, music and dance, and popular entertainment. The collection also comprises a significant number of organizational and personal papers as well as photographic archives which preserve the legacies of institutions, playwrights, actors, designers and choreographers
Using the Collection
The Harvard Theatre Collection is a department of Houghton Library, the primary repository for rare books and manuscripts at Harvard. Houghton Library is open without fee to all adult researchers regardless of academic affiliation, but access requires that researchers register for a Special Collections Request Account.
Formed in 1901, the Harvard Theatre Collection is the oldest collection of its kind in America and one of the largest in the world. It specializes in documentary material on the history of the performing arts. Its diverse holdings encompass all manner of dramatic performance with special emphasis on the stage, music and dance, and popular entertainment. The collection also comprises a significant number of organizational and personal papers as well as photographic archives which preserve the legacies of institutions, playwrights, actors, designers and choreographers
People, Hours and Location
Researchers are welcome to consult material from the Harvard Theatre Collection when the Houghton Library Reading Room is open, but are encouraged to contact reference staff in advance of their visit.
- Contact our reference staff for further assistance or to schedule an appointment
- Collection Hours
- Directions to the Harvard Theatre Collection, Houghton Library
The Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library is the primary repository of musical materials at Harvard; its collections of books, periodicals, scores, sound and video recordings support research in a wide variety of musical disciplines including historical musicology, music theory, ethnomusicology, composition and historically informed performance practice. Special collections include the Isham Memorial Library, a collection of rare originals and facsimiles of musical sources and The Archive of World Music, a collection of archival field recordings and commercial recordings of ethnomusicological interest.
Isham Memorial Library
The Isham Memorial Library is a special collection of the Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library dedicated to research with primary sources. Isham collections include microforms, published facsimiles, rare books and manuscripts and Harvard dissertations in music. Also housed in Isham are the archival collections of the Loeb Music Library, including the Nadia Boulanger collection and papers of individual scholars, as well as special collections such as the Sir Georg Solti Archive and the Biblioteca Mozartiana Eric Offenbacher (BMEO).
The Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library is the primary repository of musical materials at Harvard; its collections of books, periodicals, scores, sound and video recordings support research in a wide variety of musical disciplines including historical musicology, music theory, ethnomusicology, composition and historically informed performance practice. Special collections include the Isham Memorial Library, a collection of rare originals and facsimiles of musical sources and The Archive of World Music, a collection of archival field recordings and commercial recordings of ethnomusicological interest.
Archive of World Music
The Archive of World Music is a special collection of the Loeb Music Library devoted to the acquisition of archival field recordings of musics world-wide as well as to commercial sound recordings, videos and DVDs of ethnomusicological interest. The Archive holds diverse material, including important collections from Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Finding aids to special collections in the Archive, and digitized archival audio, are available in OASIS.
The Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library is the primary repository of musical materials at Harvard; its collections of books, periodicals, scores, sound and video recordings support research in a wide variety of musical disciplines including historical musicology, music theory, ethnomusicology, composition and historically informed performance practice. Special collections include the Isham Memorial Library, a collection of rare originals and facsimiles of musical sources and The Archive of World Music, a collection of archival field recordings and commercial recordings of ethnomusicological interest.
People, Hours and Location
- Contact our research staff for further assistance or to schedule an appointment
- Library Hours
- Directions to the Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library
