Five College Libraries

As a member of the UMass community, you are able to borrow most print materials from the other four colleges. You can request materials online to be sent from the lending library to UMass. Some eResources are restricted to particular campuses, but you can get help from our librarians to gain access to those eBooks. You can also go to the other libraries to use their facilities and collections.

Physical items held in the Four Colleges should be ordered through Discovery by using the “request item” button. You will receive an email when your material is available for pickup. If all Five College copies of a book are checked out, you can submit an Interlibrary Loan request and we will do our best to get the item from another library.

Amherst College has three library locations: Frost Library, Morgan Music Library, and Keefe Science Library. Archives & Special Collections is located in Frost Library and houses major collections of Emily Dickinson and Richard Wilbur books and manuscripts, along with one of the largest collections of Native American literature in the United States.

• Robert Frost Library
• Amherst College Campus Map

The Harold F. Johnson Library, in addition to our regular collection of books and ebooks, has several unique collections available for use by our community. These include our Division III Archive of Hampshire students’ capstone projects; our large collection of non-circulating zines; the Robert Lisle Collection of the History of Photography; our Game Library of video and tabletop games; our Seed Lending Library of free, organic seeds; and the Robert Seydel Collection of more than 3,500 volumes of poetry, literature, art, photography, and artist books, among other treasures.

• Harold F. Johnson Library
• Hampshire College Campus Map

Mount Holyoke’s Library, Information, and Technology Services (LITS) provides library and information technology support for the college. There are two library locations: Williston Library and Pratt Music Library. The general library collections support the curriculum, with strengths in gender and sexuality studies, interdisciplinary studies, and environmental and sustainability studies. Archives & Special Collections documents the history of the college and its role in the education of women. The library spaces include group study rooms and a beautiful, welcoming reading room (a favorite with students) in an English Gothic architectural style.

• Williston Library
• Mount Holyoke College Campus Map

The Smith College Libraries offer research help and tutoring; study and collaboration spaces; media production software, studios, and equipment; and collections covering a wide range of topics. The Libraries are also home to Smith College’s Special Collections, which feature three repositories: the College Archives, the Mortimer Rare Book Collections, and the Sophia Smith Collection of women’s history.

• Neilson Library
• Smith College Campus Map

Requests for articles or chapters can be done via ILL.

Books should be requested normally through Discovery. If a book is not available to request in Discovery, it might be restricted use and you can request it for use in the library only. Requests can be made via the Five College Repository Collection Request form.

When the book comes in, you will receive an email with instructions on how to view the book which will be available on the In House Use shelf of Special Collections and University Archives located in the 25th floor reading room.