Harvard Law School Library

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Harvard Law School Library

We're Harvard Law School's information experts. Like our page for news, events, and highlights of our people, services, events, and collections!

We are Harvard Law School's information experts, connecting our students, faculty, staff, and members of the wider Harvard community with key information they need for their research, teaching, and work. To learn more about the HLS Library, including history and highlights from our world-renowned collections, visit http://hls.harvard.edu/library/about-the-library/. Hours listed here are our regula

r academic hours. For summer, reading period, and exam hours, please visit http://libcal.law.harvard.edu/calendar/hours/. Comments policy: comments consisting of abuse or spam will be deleted at page moderators' discretion.

09/03/2026

Welcome to 2026-2027! We're looking forward to a great year!

09/01/2026

In the old days, people had to bring their lunch to school and work in a lunchbox, like this metal one - described as a "painted tin ammunition box" - that once belonged to Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (LLB 1866).
Holmes (1841-1935) served on the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts for 20 years (1882-1902) before being appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, where he served for 30 years (1902-1932) until he retired.
To see the lunchbox and other items related to Holmes, stop by the Caspersen Room on the 4th floor of the library (Mon-Fri, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.).

08/31/2026

Swing by our table at today's LAWn party to meet our librarians, learn about our services, get some swag, and grab a treat! We're in the back row.

08/27/2026

Our fall hours begin today:
Monday – Friday: 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday – Sunday: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

During these hours: All HUID holders will have access to all floors of the library.
Outside these hours: Only HLS students will have 24/7 access to the 2nd floor.

Hope to see you at the Library!

08/25/2026

Happy Birthday to the National Park Service! On Aug. 25, 1916, the NPS was created with the enactment of the Organic Act “‘to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life [sic] therein to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.” (citation below)

You can find more information on the Organic Act of 1916, the related Antiquities Act of 1906, and conservation law in general, by visiting HOLLIS or the Reading Room.

Citation:
Donahue, D.L. (1998). Conservation and the law: a dictionary. ABC-CLIO. HOLLIS number 990078936340203941

08/20/2026

Our summer hours are coming to an end. Here are our hours for this week and next are:

Thurs., Aug. 20 & Fri., Aug. 21 - 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 22 & Sun., Aug. 23 - Closed
Mon., Aug. 24 & Tues., Aug. 25 - 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Wed., Aug. 26 - Closed
Thurs., Aug. 27 & Fri., Aug. 28 - 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 29 - 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. (weekend hours start)

See you at the library!

08/18/2026

in 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified giving women the right to vote.

📜

Sources:
Constitutional law and politics by David M. O’Brien, W.W. Norton & Company, New York, 2011. HOLLIS number 990128114240203941, Harvard Law School Library.

The woman who dared to vote: the trial of Susan B. Anthony by N.E.H. Hull, Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2012. HOLLIS number 990131695530203941, Harvard Law School Library.

One hundred years of women debating the Equal Rights Amendment: an anthology, 1923-2023 edited by Melody Lehn and Camille K. Lewis, New York; Berline: Peter Lang, 2024. HOLLIS number 99158433315003941, Harvard Law School Library.

08/13/2026

And just like that, our students have started to arrive on campus. For a preview of what you can expect in the library, take a tour at bit.ly/HLSLibraryTour.

08/10/2026

On Aug. 10, 1793, the du Louvre opened its doors to the public for the first time, displaying 537 paintings and transforming a former royal collection into a public museum. Did you know the Harvard Law School Library also has a vast collection of artwork?

The HLS Library’s Art & Visual Materials Collection includes approximately 300 painted portraits and sculptures [including the Story statue pictured here], more than 50,000 historic photographs, 6,000 prints, and other objects documenting the history of the legal profession and the law. The collection grew from an early 20th-century effort to create a “Museum of the Law.” To read more, visit https://bit.ly/HLSlibraryArtVisualCollection.

Citation:
Joseph Story sculpture, artist/creator William Wetmore Story. HOLLIS number olvwork654772, Harvard Law School Library, Historical & Special Collections.
**This marble statue can be viewed inside the main entrance to Langdell Hall. Photo credit: Theresa Knapp

08/06/2026

HLS Library has been busy preparing the building for the start of the academic year. We’ve replaced the Reading Room clocks, cleaned the carpet and windows, and tested the fire alarms. We’ll see you soon!

Address

1545 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA
02138

Website

https://hls.harvard.edu/library, http://bit.ly/AmicusLibris

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