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Harvard's collections are the product of more than three centuries of decisions encompassing every imaginable thematic interest. The contours of these collections also, inevitably, reflect an evolving understanding of what academic libraries are expected to acquire-at one point the basic books that any educated person would have at his command; more recently a broadening array of resources, in all formats, to support an inclusive community's discipline-based inquiries. Libraries at other colleges and universities have of course pursued similar goals. Harvard, however, is unique for the duration of its efforts, and also unusual in having consistently anticipated scholarly needs by documenting emerging social, intellectual, and political trends. A host of distinctive collections, and the uniquely rich sum of these parts, are a visible result.