The Harvard University Library’s Open Collections Program (OCP) is developing subject-specific digital collections, and making historical materials from across Harvard’s vast libraries and collections freely available for classroom use.

Through the CIC/Harvard OCP Partnership, faculty members and librarians at CIC institutions can participate in a special OCP-related listserv through which faculty members exchange views on the digital materials, and consult with librarians and faculty members at a range of colleges and universities. Harvard’s OCP staff participate in the listserv and welcome feedback from CIC members about the usefulness of materials and suggestions for future OCP developments. To date 167 faculty members, librarians, and administrators from 94 CIC member institutions have joined the listserv.

Ryan J. Carey, assistant professor of history at Simon’s Rock College of Bard (MA), says the listserv “is a great way to learn about how others are using open collections and to get help on customizing the website for your own classes.”

The OCP currently offers a special collection on women’s roles in the U.S. economy between 1800 and the Great Depression. “Women Working, 1800–1930,” may be found at http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/ww. The site provides access to 500,000 digitized pages and images including 7,500 manuscript pages, 3,500 books, and 1,200 photographs from Harvard libraries and museums. Faculty members, librarians, and deans at CIC member institutions who wish to sign up for the special listserv should send an e-mail with “subscribe ocp-cic” in the body of the message to majordomo@hulmail.harvard.edu.