Hours
The Root Room, Historical & Special Collections’ reading room, is open by appointment only, Tuesday-Friday, 10-5.
To schedule an appointment or get in touch with a member of the Historical & Special Collections staff, please email specialc@law.harvard.edu.
UPCOMING CLOSURES:
Wednesday, October 15, 12-1pm
Friday, October 24, 10am-12:30pm
Tuesday, October 28-Thursday October 30: 12:30-5pm
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New Exhibit – ‘Educator, Advocate, Scholar, Leader’ showcases the Charles J. Ogletree, Jr. papers
Harvard Law School Library Historical & Special Collections is pleased to announce a new exhibit, Educator, Advocate, Scholar, Leader: Selections from the Charles J. Ogletree, Jr. papers, will be on view in the Caspersen Room, 4th floor, Langdell Hall from Sept. 2, 2025 through July 2026. The exhibit celebrates the career, leadership, and impact of
September 12, 2025
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HLS Library Historical & Special Collections acquires new William H. Hastie collection
This spring, Harvard Law School Library’s Historical & Special Collections purchased a collection of personal papers related to the career of William H. Hastie (1904-1976). The collection, titled “William H. Hastie collection of photographs and personal papers,” marks a significant addition to the library’s materials related to Hastie and the careers of African American jurists.
September 4, 2025
Image Credits
Top of page, clockwise:
- Registrum brevium, ca. 1476, HLS MS 25, HOLLIS 990037584890203941, fol. 1r, seq. 13, detail, Harvard Law School Library.
- View of incunabula (books printed before 1500) spines, Brooks Kraft, 2014.
- Detail of Harvard Black Law Students Association, 1976-1977, HOLLIS 24085091, Harvard Law School Library.
Left to right:
- Historical & Special Collections reading room, Brooks Kraft, 2014.
- Harvard Law School Library pass, 1868, HOLLIS 990020808460203941, Harvard Law School Library.
- De legibus Angliae, ca. 1300. HLS MS 1, HOLLIS 990028855300203941, seq. 29, detail, Harvard Law School Library.
- Caspersen Room, Harvard Law School Library, Tony Rinaldo, September 2023.
- Historical & Special Collections stacks, Brooks Kraft, 2014.
- Treasure Room, Langdell Hall by Fay Foto Service, 1952? HOLLIS 8001070613, Harvard Law School Library.