Schlesinger Library | Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University
Source: http://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/schlesinger-library
Archived: 2026-04-23 15:29
Schlesinger
Library | Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University
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Schlesinger
Library
The Schlesinger Library illuminates the lives of American women past and present through its collections, research support, public programming, and exhibitions, all while advancing Harvard Radcliffe Institute’s commitment to women, gender, and society.
One of the special collections libraries within the Harvard Library—the oldest library system in the United States—the Schlesinger Library is considered the leading center for scholarship on the history of women in the United States, with collections that span civil rights and feminism, health and sexuality, work and family life, education and the professions, and culinary history and etiquette. The Library is committed to expanding its holdings by and about women of all ethnicities, political philosophies, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Open to the public, the Library welcomes all visitors.
Quick Links
A New Way to Request Materials
More about Radcliffe’s Schlesinger Library
Research Services and Tools
Explore our Collections
Search the Catalog
Collections
01
/ 06
01
Amelia Earhart
02
June Jordan
03
Julia Child
04
Blackwell Family
05
Alice Paul
06
Helen Keller
Explore our Collections
Fund your Research
01
Opportunities for Researchers
The Schlesinger Library offers a variety of research grants to support new scholarship on women, gender, and sexuality.
Grants for Researchers
02
Opportunities for Students
Carol K. Pforzheimer Student Fellowships provide funding to Harvard undergraduates to do research in the Schlesinger Library's collections.
Grants for Students
03
Opportunities for Educators
Teachers in grades 6–12 can apply for support for research in our collections connected to work in their classrooms.
Grants for Educators
Hear Black Women’s Voices
01
/ 16
Muriel Snowden Oral History Interview
“Are You Listening: Black High School Girls,” Produced by Martha Stuart
Dorothy West Oral History Interview
Melnea A. Cass Oral History Interview
Alfreda Barnett Duster Oral History Interview
Mildred Jefferson Addresses the National Right to Life Conference
Mary Gibson Hundley Talks about Housing Discrimination in 1947 Radio Program
Pauli Murray reads "Dark Testament”
Pat Parker Reads “Jonestown and Other Madness”
Bernice Johnson Reagon Sings "Getting Down to Get Over" and Recites "Poem about My Rights"
Audre Lorde Reads "Afterimages"
Shirley Chisholm addresses the National Women's Political Caucus
Rosa Parks Oral History Interview
June Jordan Reads "Poem about Police Violence"
Flo Kennedy: "The Feminist Party Street Walks"
Angela Davis Speaks at Critical Resistance Meeting about the Prison Industrial Complex
Visit the Library
The Schlesinger Library’s Reading Room is open Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 4 PM. The Lia and William Poorvu Gallery is open to all visitors, Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM. All visitors must read and abide by current Harvard Radcliffe Institute policies.
Plan your Research Visit
Start Your Research
The Schlesinger Library’s Reading Room is open Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 4 PM. The Lia and William Poorvu Gallery is open to all visitors, Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM.
If you are interested in making an appointment, please read the access policies below and contact us via
Ask A Librarian
.
Virtual reference services are available via Ask a Librarian, and we encourage you to explore the HOLLIS catalog. The Library has also created research guides to collections. Through these, you can learn how to use research tools like Zotero; read subject guides created especially for Harvard courses; or browse collection highlights by subject.
Quick Links
Remote Research Guide
Ask a Librarian
How-To Guides
Subject Guides
Research Tools
Make the most of your research time with the resources in this section. While no appointment is necessary to use holdings during normal operations, researchers are strongly encouraged to contact the Library in advance because material may be stored offsite and/or have restrictions.
Here, a brief explanation of the tools linked below.
HOLLIS
is the Harvard Library’s catalog. Search HOLLIS for articles, books, manuscript materials, media, and more.
With
HOLLIS for Archival Discovery
, search for letters, photographs, film and video, print items, digital materials, objects, and other primary sources.
HOLLIS Images
is the Harvard Library’s dedicated image catalog. It includes content from archives, museums, libraries, and other collections throughout Harvard University.
Use
Ask a Librarian
to submit research questions as well as queries about Library policies and procedures, to schedule a research consultation, and to confirm availability of collections. To locate materials, use the HOLLIS catalog to start you search. You can limit results to Schlesinger Library holding in the advanced search mode.
Use
HOLLIS Special Request
to order Schlesinger materials for use in the Carol K. Pforzheimer Reading Room. HOLLIS Special Request is available to Harvard and non-Harvard researchers and can be used at any
participating Harvard library or archives
. For more information on how to create, manage, and navigate the Harvard Special Request tool, see the
HOLLIS Special Request guide
.
Consult our
Research Guides
for an introduction by subject to various holdings. The guides are meant to help you begin your research on select topics and are not complete lists of relevant material.
HOLLIS (Library Catalog)
HOLLIS for Archival Discovery
HOLLIS Images
Ask a Librarian
Request Archival Collections
HOLLIS Special Request
Research Guides
Selections: News from the Schlesinger Library
01
/ 21
01
Diving In
02
In Process: Adrienne Kennedy Papers and Dorothy I. Height Papers
03
Hard Times, Profound Histories
04
Zooming the Archives
05
A Woman's Place Is at the Convention
06
Layered Narratives in the Papers of Helen Zia
07
Marketing Menstruation
08
Unpacking Angela Davis
09
Birth of a Sleuth
10
The Library Welcomes New Executive Director
11
Writing from the Library, Winter 2022
12
Meeting the Moment
13
Staying Connected
14
Still Processing
15
The World Stopped, the Queries Didn’t
16
Let's Talk About Sex!
17
An Intimate Narrative of NOW’s Sweeping History
18
Sweet Music
19
Behind Women’s Suffrage, Untold Subplots
20
A Deeper Sense of Her Own Story
21
The Fight of Her Life: Gender Equality
Ask a Schlesinger Librarian
Virtual reference services are available. Click through to ask a question or make an appointment with a research librarian at the Schlesinger Library. We’re eager to talk about your research needs.
How can we help you?
Events
01
/ 05
01
May
2026
Gallery Events
Harvard Arts Fest Open House:
Eve Fowler: words doing as they want to do
13
May
2026
Fellows' Presentations
The Nature of Adolescence: A Chimpanzee Perspective
14
May
2026
Gallery Events
Curator-Led Tour:
Cooking Up Change
20
May
2026
Fellows' Presentations
American Monument: The Kinship of Harriet and John Jacobs
29
May
2026
Radcliffe Day
Radcliffe Day 2026
See All Events
News & Ideas
Resurfacing a Forgotten Icon
A Voice to Be Heard
Student Spotlight: Shayna Leng ’27
Episode 407: Gifts of Intergenerational Friendship
Student Spotlight: Zoha Ibrahim ’26
Radcliffe College Archives Processing Push
Episode 303: In Their Own Words—The Diaries of the Schlesinger Library
Suffragists on Stage
Bringing the Past to Life
“Dear Diary”: American Lives in First Person
Back to top
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a
c
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Library | Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University
Skip to main content
Your browser does not support the video tag.
Schlesinger
Library
The Schlesinger Library illuminates the lives of American women past and present through its collections, research support, public programming, and exhibitions, all while advancing Harvard Radcliffe Institute’s commitment to women, gender, and society.
One of the special collections libraries within the Harvard Library—the oldest library system in the United States—the Schlesinger Library is considered the leading center for scholarship on the history of women in the United States, with collections that span civil rights and feminism, health and sexuality, work and family life, education and the professions, and culinary history and etiquette. The Library is committed to expanding its holdings by and about women of all ethnicities, political philosophies, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Open to the public, the Library welcomes all visitors.
Quick Links
A New Way to Request Materials
More about Radcliffe’s Schlesinger Library
Research Services and Tools
Explore our Collections
Search the Catalog
Collections
01
/ 06
01
Amelia Earhart
02
June Jordan
03
Julia Child
04
Blackwell Family
05
Alice Paul
06
Helen Keller
Explore our Collections
Fund your Research
01
Opportunities for Researchers
The Schlesinger Library offers a variety of research grants to support new scholarship on women, gender, and sexuality.
Grants for Researchers
02
Opportunities for Students
Carol K. Pforzheimer Student Fellowships provide funding to Harvard undergraduates to do research in the Schlesinger Library's collections.
Grants for Students
03
Opportunities for Educators
Teachers in grades 6–12 can apply for support for research in our collections connected to work in their classrooms.
Grants for Educators
Hear Black Women’s Voices
01
/ 16
Muriel Snowden Oral History Interview
“Are You Listening: Black High School Girls,” Produced by Martha Stuart
Dorothy West Oral History Interview
Melnea A. Cass Oral History Interview
Alfreda Barnett Duster Oral History Interview
Mildred Jefferson Addresses the National Right to Life Conference
Mary Gibson Hundley Talks about Housing Discrimination in 1947 Radio Program
Pauli Murray reads "Dark Testament”
Pat Parker Reads “Jonestown and Other Madness”
Bernice Johnson Reagon Sings "Getting Down to Get Over" and Recites "Poem about My Rights"
Audre Lorde Reads "Afterimages"
Shirley Chisholm addresses the National Women's Political Caucus
Rosa Parks Oral History Interview
June Jordan Reads "Poem about Police Violence"
Flo Kennedy: "The Feminist Party Street Walks"
Angela Davis Speaks at Critical Resistance Meeting about the Prison Industrial Complex
Visit the Library
The Schlesinger Library’s Reading Room is open Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 4 PM. The Lia and William Poorvu Gallery is open to all visitors, Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM. All visitors must read and abide by current Harvard Radcliffe Institute policies.
Plan your Research Visit
Start Your Research
The Schlesinger Library’s Reading Room is open Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 4 PM. The Lia and William Poorvu Gallery is open to all visitors, Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM.
If you are interested in making an appointment, please read the access policies below and contact us via
Ask A Librarian
.
Virtual reference services are available via Ask a Librarian, and we encourage you to explore the HOLLIS catalog. The Library has also created research guides to collections. Through these, you can learn how to use research tools like Zotero; read subject guides created especially for Harvard courses; or browse collection highlights by subject.
Quick Links
Remote Research Guide
Ask a Librarian
How-To Guides
Subject Guides
Research Tools
Make the most of your research time with the resources in this section. While no appointment is necessary to use holdings during normal operations, researchers are strongly encouraged to contact the Library in advance because material may be stored offsite and/or have restrictions.
Here, a brief explanation of the tools linked below.
HOLLIS
is the Harvard Library’s catalog. Search HOLLIS for articles, books, manuscript materials, media, and more.
With
HOLLIS for Archival Discovery
, search for letters, photographs, film and video, print items, digital materials, objects, and other primary sources.
HOLLIS Images
is the Harvard Library’s dedicated image catalog. It includes content from archives, museums, libraries, and other collections throughout Harvard University.
Use
Ask a Librarian
to submit research questions as well as queries about Library policies and procedures, to schedule a research consultation, and to confirm availability of collections. To locate materials, use the HOLLIS catalog to start you search. You can limit results to Schlesinger Library holding in the advanced search mode.
Use
HOLLIS Special Request
to order Schlesinger materials for use in the Carol K. Pforzheimer Reading Room. HOLLIS Special Request is available to Harvard and non-Harvard researchers and can be used at any
participating Harvard library or archives
. For more information on how to create, manage, and navigate the Harvard Special Request tool, see the
HOLLIS Special Request guide
.
Consult our
Research Guides
for an introduction by subject to various holdings. The guides are meant to help you begin your research on select topics and are not complete lists of relevant material.
HOLLIS (Library Catalog)
HOLLIS for Archival Discovery
HOLLIS Images
Ask a Librarian
Request Archival Collections
HOLLIS Special Request
Research Guides
Selections: News from the Schlesinger Library
01
/ 21
01
Diving In
02
In Process: Adrienne Kennedy Papers and Dorothy I. Height Papers
03
Hard Times, Profound Histories
04
Zooming the Archives
05
A Woman's Place Is at the Convention
06
Layered Narratives in the Papers of Helen Zia
07
Marketing Menstruation
08
Unpacking Angela Davis
09
Birth of a Sleuth
10
The Library Welcomes New Executive Director
11
Writing from the Library, Winter 2022
12
Meeting the Moment
13
Staying Connected
14
Still Processing
15
The World Stopped, the Queries Didn’t
16
Let's Talk About Sex!
17
An Intimate Narrative of NOW’s Sweeping History
18
Sweet Music
19
Behind Women’s Suffrage, Untold Subplots
20
A Deeper Sense of Her Own Story
21
The Fight of Her Life: Gender Equality
Ask a Schlesinger Librarian
Virtual reference services are available. Click through to ask a question or make an appointment with a research librarian at the Schlesinger Library. We’re eager to talk about your research needs.
How can we help you?
Events
01
/ 05
01
May
2026
Gallery Events
Harvard Arts Fest Open House:
Eve Fowler: words doing as they want to do
13
May
2026
Fellows' Presentations
The Nature of Adolescence: A Chimpanzee Perspective
14
May
2026
Gallery Events
Curator-Led Tour:
Cooking Up Change
20
May
2026
Fellows' Presentations
American Monument: The Kinship of Harriet and John Jacobs
29
May
2026
Radcliffe Day
Radcliffe Day 2026
See All Events
News & Ideas
Resurfacing a Forgotten Icon
A Voice to Be Heard
Student Spotlight: Shayna Leng ’27
Episode 407: Gifts of Intergenerational Friendship
Student Spotlight: Zoha Ibrahim ’26
Radcliffe College Archives Processing Push
Episode 303: In Their Own Words—The Diaries of the Schlesinger Library
Suffragists on Stage
Bringing the Past to Life
“Dear Diary”: American Lives in First Person
Back to top
B
a
c
k
t
o
t
o
p