Schedule a Research Visit | Countway Library

To schedule a research appointment, please email the Center.

Reading Room Hours

The Center is open Monday-Friday: 10:00-4:00. Appointments recommended.

Countway holidays are listed on the Hours & Location webpage.

For specific questions about using the collections, please contact the following Center departments:

The Center is located on L2 of the Countway Library building, 695 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115. Directions are available online.
All non-Harvard ID holders will need to check in at the Security Desk when entering the Countway Library.
Center visitors need to complete a registration form at the Reading Room Reference Desk. Please bring a valid ID or register online in advance. (Please see Patron Registration for information.)
Individuals who are under the age of 18 need to have a parent or guardian sign a release form (Youth Protection Researcher Release Form for Minors Visiting the Center for the History of Medicine, Countway Library, to Conduct Research Using Special Collections). Email the Center to receive this form via email.
Lockers are available onsite to store your belongings.
Some collections have restrictions on use. Please see Access Restrictions for more information.
Many collections are in offsite storage. We recommend you contact us in advance to ensure the collections you need are accessible.

The Center's Reading Room is the only place in the Countway Library building where special collections can be used. Please note the following:

You cannot eat or drink in the Reading Room.
Notebooks, laptops, and pencils are permitted in the Reading Room; all other belongings (coats, briefcases, handbags, other personal property) must be stored in a locker.
We do not retrieve collections from the closed stacks after 3:30 pm.
Materials from the Center's collections aren't allowed to leave the Reading Room. If you expect a multi-day visit, please let us know so we can keep the materials on-site.
Please keep materials in the order you receive them.
If a book's pages are stuck together or uncut, please do not attempt to open them. Please see the staff at the Reading Room desk.
Please stop working at 3:45 pm and check in with the staff at the Reading Room desk.
Digital cameras are permitted in the Reading Room, but we have an agreement form that you need to sign before you can take pictures.
Please see the Reading Room staff for photo duplication options, or read our Photography and Reproductions policy.

Please do not place anything on top of a book or manuscript. If pages don't lie flat, we will provide you with book weights.
Do not erase, write on top of, or otherwise mark materials. This includes tracings or rubbings.
We may ask you to wear gloves when using certain materials. We will let you know.
Please make sure materials are either lying flat on the table or supported in book cradles.
Materials shouldn't rest on table edges or in your lap.