Named for the prominent American Presidential Historian and his wife, the library and archive houses a remarkable collection of personal and organisational papers, searchable under either the general Harvard library catalog, or the more specific archival collections finding aid catalog (which permits in-text searching of key names and terms) [be sure to limit searches on both databases to the Schlesinger library so as not to return Harvard-wide results].
Portrait of Arthur Schlesinger hanging in the hall of the Schlesinger library.
The Schlesinger library is located at the intersection of Brattle and James streets; the main entrance is on the Radcliffe Yard side. Their holdings are consultable Monday through Friday, 9:30am to 5pm, in spacious and bright Carol. K. Pforzheimer Reading Room. Upon arrivial you have to present photo identification and register some personal and affiliation information at the welcome desk.
Researchers are permitted to photograph manuscript collections for note taking, although there are restrictions as to the quantity of photographs permitted from any one collection. Flatbed scanners are not permitted. Also available on-site are microfilm readers which scan directly to PDF - a godsend for researchers who wish to have the originals on hand for later verification.
The library staff was extremely kind and helpful, both in person and via email prior to the visit, which went towards ensuring I was able to make the most of this preliminary visit. The depth of the material available was much greater than anticipated - I would strongly recommend that anyone with topics pertaining to American history or perspectives, or American women, even as a tangential part of their research, consider examining this library's collection, as it is more than likely some collections will have valuable sources for your research.
On a practical note, several good lunch options exist in the vicinity of the Schlesinger library. Directly across Radcliffe Yard, in the basement of the Longfellow building, is a small Harvard cafeteria with a daily entree, a salad bar, several soup options, and a sandwich construction area, not to mention bagels and muffins; for about $7 you can get a complete lunch. Down Brattle Street, towards Harvard Square, there is Market in the Square, a semi-gourmet 24-hour deli with seating on premises. And just a few feet beyond that are the numerous options of Harvard Square.
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