Archives Collections

The Botany Libraries Archives is the Harvard University Herbaria's repository of historical papers, images, and institutional records.  The materials in our archives come from the following collections:

The Arnold Arboretum
The Bailey-Wetmore Wood Collection
The Botanical Museum Collection
The Economic Botany Herbarium
The Farlow Herbarium
The Gray Herbarium
The Henry David Thoreau Herbarium
The New England Botanical Club
The Oakes Ames Orchid Herbarium Archives
Paleobotanical Collections
The Rudolf and Leopold Blaschka Glass Flower Archives
The Tina & R.Gordon Wasson Ethnomycological Collection Archives

Search for archival collections using HOLLIS.  Explore finding aids, which provide detailed descriptions of archival materials, for select collections using HOLLIS for Archival Discovery.

The archival collections of the Botany Libraries are open without fee to all adult researchers regardless of academic affiliation.  Researchers may consult materials from the archives only by advance appointment. To make an appointment please contact botref@oeb.harvard.eduPlease allow one week for the processing of requests. In general, we can only accommodate one archives researcher at a time.

Once an appointment is confirmed materials must be requested using HOLLIS Special Request. Visit the HOLLIS Special Request instructions for information on creating an account, placing a request, ordering reproductions, and saving lists of materials in which you are interested.  Researchers can also add items to their HOLLIS Special Request account directly from Harvard’s finding aid portal HOLLIS for Archival Discovery. Learn more about requesting items from HOLLIS for Archival Discovery. If you do not already have a HOLLIS Special Request account, you will be prompted to create one upon submitting your requests from the finding aid. 

Further Information:
Use Policies
Visiting the Herbaria
Permission to Publish