Houghton Library

Houghton Library is the primary repository for rare books and manuscripts at Harvard University. It is part of the Harvard College Library within the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Houghton is located on the south side of Harvard Yard, next to Widener Library.

History

Harvard's first special collections library was the Treasure Room of Widener Library. In March 1938, looking to supply Harvard's most valuable collections with more space and improved storage conditions, Harvard College Librarian Keyes DeWitt Metcalf presented the Harvard Corporation with a set of proposals which would eventually lead to the creation of Houghton Library, Lamont Library, and the New England Deposit Library. Funding for Houghton was raised privately, with the largest portion coming from Arthur A. Houghton Jr., in the form of shares of stock in Corning Glass Works. Construction was largely completed by the fall of 1941, and the library opened on February 28, 1942.

Collections

Houghton has five main curatorial departments:
* [http://www.hcl.harvard.edu/libraries/houghton/collections/early.html Early Books and Manuscripts] , which includes a large collection of Medieval and Renaissance manuscripts and over 2,500 incunabula.
* [http://www.hcl.harvard.edu/libraries/houghton/collections/hyde.html Early Modern Books and Manuscripts] , featuring the Donald and Mary Hyde Collection of Dr. Samuel Johnson, one of the largest collections of books and manuscripts relating to Samuel Johnson and his circle.
* [http://www.hcl.harvard.edu/libraries/houghton/collections/modern.html Modern Books and Manuscripts] , which recently acquired the papers of novelist Gore Vidal.
**Modern Books & Manuscripts [http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/houghtonmodern/ New Acquisitions Blog]
* [http://www.hcl.harvard.edu/libraries/houghton/collections/printing.html Printing & Graphic Arts] which documents the history and art of book production.
* [http://www.hcl.harvard.edu/libraries/houghton/collections/htc.html The Harvard Theatre Collection] covering the history of the performing arts.

References

*cite book | title=A Houghton Library Chronicle, 1942-1992 | location=Cambridge, Mass. | publisher=Harvard College Library | year=1992 | oclc=26633110
*cite book | title=Centuries of books & manuscripts : collectors and friends, scholars and librarians build the Harvard College Library : an exhibition on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of Houghton Library, 1942-1992 | location=Cambridge, Mass. | publisher=Harvard College Library | year=1992 | oclc=26024581

External links

* [http://www.hcl.harvard.edu/libraries/#houghton Houghton Library home page]
* Online exhibition: [http://hcl.harvard.edu/libraries/houghton/exhibits/longfellow/index.html Public Poet, Private Man: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow at 200]