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Houghton Library

Cambridge Open Archives 2023: Houghton Library Tour #3

Friday, June 9, 2023, 1:00pm - 1:45pm
Houghton Library
Open to the public, Library Tour, Presentation,
Registration has closed.

Cambridge Open Archives is an annual free event that offers members of the public the rare chance to visit a number of unique archives and collecting agencies in Cambridge, organized by the Cambridge Historical Commission. This year, participating repositories will plan their tours around the theme “Born in Cambridge."

Houghton Library is Harvard University’s primary repository for rare books and manuscripts. As the first purpose-built university special collections library in the country, we’re proud to claim our own stake in this year’s “Born in Cambridge” theme. The Open Archives tour will introduce visitors to the breadth of Houghton’s collection through high spots of Cambridge history, from the papers of celebrated Cantabridgians like poet E. E. Cummings and photographer Elsa Dorfman, to cornerstones of Harvard history, such as John Harvard’s copy of Downame’s The Christian Warfare, the only known surviving book from his library. On their tour, visitors will also be introduced to Houghton’s exhibition spaces and display rooms, including those dedicated to American poets Emily Dickinson and Amy Lowell, Romantic poet John Keats, and English writer Samuel Johnson and his circle.

Visit Cambridge Historical Commission’s landing page to sign up for tours at other participating institutions, which will unfold over June 5–9, 2023. Other repositories include the Harvard Art Museum, the Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site, Mount Auburn Cemetery, and MIT’s Distinctive Collections.

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Houghton will offer three tours on Friday, June 9. We ask that guests register for only one slot to reserve room for others. For additional questions regarding registration, please email houghtonlibrary_events@harvard.edu.  

Persons with disabilities who would like to request accommodations or have questions about physical access should contact Houghton Library's Administrative Coordinator Le Huong Huynh at lehuong_huynh@harvard.edu or at 617-495-2443 in advance.

Image by Stu Rosner.

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