Finding Books Beyond Harvard

When you cannot find an item at Harvard, begin by looking for it in WorldCat. WorldCat is an online catalog for thousands of libraries. If you do not have a Harvard ID and PIN, you may access a free but more limited WorldCat. For additional catalogs, see Catalogs Beyond Harvard on the Harvard Libraries portal.

Once you have located a record for the item outside of Harvard, several options are available:

• ILL: Harvard Divinity School students, faculty, and staff may borrow books held in distant locations through interlibrary loan. If you are not a member of the Harvard Divinity School community, books may be borrowed through interlibrary loan by contacting the academic library with which you are affiliated, or, if you have no such affiliation, your local public library. 

• BTI: Harvard Divinity School students and faculty have borrowing privileges at Boston Theological Institute (BTI) libraries. As a result, they may wish to go directly to a BTI library and borrow the needed item. View additional information about BTI libraries.

• Other: Books in the collections of Boston-area libraries may be available for borrowing. Your access and borrowing privileges are determined by the library that owns the book. We strongly recommend that you consult the library's hours and policies before your visit.

If you would like to recommend materials for the library to purchase, please use our Recommendations for Purchase form.