Harvard's Finest House Libraries

Daydreaming about Harvard in high school, you may have imagined wood-panel rooms lined with dozens of Gutenberg Bibles and the busts of ancient Greek philosophers—a haven where students would absorb knowledge from the mere scent of the ancient books surrounding them. Uhhhh...maybe not.  Maybe you just smoked pot or played the sousaphone.  But anyway, you'll grant FlyBy that studying at Harvard is not quite the stuff of dreams (especially in the early morning).  That's where the House libraries come in.  Many replicate a sense of history and wood-panelled beauty that was all you ever thought Harvard would be (minus the parties). Thus, without further ado, here is your guide to Harvard’s six finest House libraries (with pics) after the jump.

Dunster

Although few frequent the Dunster House Library, it is without question the finest House library on campus. Tucked away on the second floor of B entryway, it is the only House library that regularly plays host to chamber music concerts. And while most libraries have just a grand piano, it boasts of a harpsichord.  Yeah, that's right.  A harpsichord.  Suck it, Adams. Moreover, while the most exotic literature at some House libraries hails from France, Dunster’s library has the best selection of texts on campus, claiming Chinese literature in the original and even a massive ancient Greek dictionary that lies eternally open. There are eleven stacked shelves in the Dunster library, which necessitates a ladder to access books on the top rows. Below a low-hanging chandelier, there is even a Latin inscription specially written for the library: bibliothecae aedium Dunsteranium pristinae (of the venerable/ancient library of the Dunster Dwelling...er House), which was given in the year MDCCCCXXX (1930). Very sweet.

The only downside: the library's only open 12-4 on Friday and Saturday. But getting the chance to gaze at the view of the Charles River from the wide window, however briefly, is cause enough to trek over to Dunster’s library from another House on a Saturday afternoon.  Freshmen placed in Dunster: do not despair of your future living in a walk-through next year. Just a tunnel walk away from your room will be a library that takes your breath away.

Eliot

Few libraries compare to Dunster’s, but Eliot’s House library is comparable in beauty and can also boast of more space and much more reasonable hours. (The curator is often generous enough to keep it open till 1 AM on Saturday night.) The grand piano at the center is less useful than the harpsichord and grand piano in Dunster’s library, where there are actually concerts—so the piano just kind of sits there. I’m not entirely sure if any drunk people have wandered from C entryway into the library on a Saturday night to play each other Chopin, but that seems to be the only context in which it would come to use.

In addition to cozy red chairs and couches, the best part of the library is a well-lit reading room tucked away in the back corner, where you can bring together a study group for discussion. If you’re there by yourself, it’s also lovely to gaze at the Latin and Greek classics as well as more exotic volumes like The Thousand and One Nights.

Winthrop

Winthrop lays claim to a special kind of beauty unique from all other River House libraries. Like the dining hall, it is underground, but cozier that way. The green couches are the puffiest in any House library. And getting to walk down the stairs into the library gives the studier a sense of purpose. At least a dozen original portraits line the walls of the library, all depicting men and a woman with the last name Winthrop. Three of them are named John Winthrop, and a fourth is John Stills Winthrop.

However, the library refuses to stay open when there is no librarian on guard because the portraits are so valuable. Its hours on Friday, perhaps, are most ridiculous—it is open only 5-8 PM. Most House libraries have terrible hours on Fridays and Saturdays, though.

Adams

Tired of Draconian hours at most House libraries, and even at Lamont? Adams is here to open its welcoming arms, saving countless undergrads driven out by Lamont’s shrill 9:45 PM bell. On a Friday or Saturday night, they can simply walk to Adams. Although Adams is not the best place to study during a dining hall party, in most cases it provides an ideal haven for refugees from other Houses. So, thank you, Adams.

Lowell

Lowell may be smaller than most House libraries, with a mere three modestly sized tables. But it is still one of the most elegant River House libraries on campus. A wood panel engraving of the Lowell shield—the hand seizing the arrows, encapsulating the motto occasionem cognosce (seize the moment)—gazes on studious Lowellians. The selection of literature on the bottom floor celebrates a special focus on obscure English literature that no one reads anymore (a defect present in many other River House libraries, including Winthrop).

Walk up the ladder to the stacks tucked away in the back, and find a treasure-trove of the most fascinating old books.  The air reeks of old paper. One can find anything in the Lowell stacks: a manual of economic history, a bound volume of Plato in ancient Greek, a polemic from a Latin professor at Princeton 100 years ago on why study of the classics in the original Latin and Greek should remain required for all college students. Those stairs—though rickety—are an unforgettable portal to the past.

Kirkland

Kirkland’s Hicks House Library is the only House library restricted to House residents, but do not despair. It is possible to sneak in, and well worth it. Not only is the library unique for possessing 10 small study rooms lining two winding staircases, but it is also a standing monument to Harvard history. Sketches and photographs of Harvard presidents from Eliot to Conant hang in one study room. An original sketch of Walden Pond by Thoreau’s hand hangs on the wall of another. The photographs of all of Kirkland’s past House masters line the staircases. Kirkland’s selection of books is also exquisite, with the Loeb Greek and Latin classics in one room, more exotic Chinese history in another, and historical theory on the third floor. Indeed, the Hicks House Library is a microcosm of Harvard itself: intellectual, studious, and exclusive—but not impossible to gain access to.

Photos: The Harvard Crimson/Bonnie Kavoussi