Harvard University Library Notes / September 2006 / No. 1333

Finding Digital Collections at Harvard

In addition to the digital collections web site described elsewhere on this page, there are a number of paths available to discover digital collections at Harvard. As a rule, digital materials are integrated with other formats of the same category. For example, digital images can be found, together with print images, in the Visual Information Access (VIA) catalog. Many items that have been digitized are not part of collections with a web presence, and, currently, these can only be discovered through searches in the appropriate catalog(s).

While access to many licensed e-resources, such as electronic journals, requires a Harvard ID and PIN, many other electronic materials and digital objects are open to visitors. Here are some places to start:

E-Research @ Harvard Libraries
E-Research @ Harvard Libraries is the University's online system for searching and finding e-resources of many kinds:
http://e-research.lib.harvard.edu

HOLLIS Catalog
Use the HOLLIS catalog to locate not only digital collections, but some individual digital objects as well. Look for "Internet Links" in HOLLIS records or choose "Digital Resources" when you begin your HOLLIS search:
http://holliscatalog.harvard.edu

VIA
VIA, Harvard's Visual Information Access catalog, provides links to more than 270,000 individual images:
http://via.harvard.edu

OASIS
OASIS (Online Archival Search Information System) provides centralized access to a growing percentage of finding aids for archival and manuscript collections at Harvard. These finding aids are detailed descriptions of collections that contain a wide variety of materials, including letters, diaries, photographs, drawings, printed material, and objects. OASIS finding aids include many links to digital objects:
http://oasis.harvard.edu

For More Information
Explore the Harvard Libraries web site at http://lib.harvard.edu or ask any Harvard librarian. Address general questions to Wendy Gogel, digital projects program librarian, wendy_gogel@harvard.edu or 5-3724. View new digital collections as they are added by visiting:
http://digitalcollections.harvard.edu

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