1. How do I subscribe to the digital Loeb Classical Library?
Please see How to Subscribe for details on digital Loeb Classical Library access plans. Students, faculty members, and employees of institutions that currently subscribe to the digital Loeb Classical Library can access the site by following their institution’s login protocol.
2. What is the difference between Log In and Sign In?
Log In is required to access the digital Library as a subscriber. The Log In fields, located on the left-hand side of the homepage, may not be visible to users accessing the site via their institutions. Sign In—accessible only to individual subscribers and authorized patrons of subscribing institutions—is required to access the Library as a unique user and to utilize custom features such as My Loebs.
While individual subscribers and others who Log In to the site via username and password will also need to Sign In to their unique user accounts, nothing prevents subscribers from assigning the same username and password to both portals.
3. If I change institutions, will I be able to keep my annotations?
Yes, your unique Sign In account is saved even if you change institutions. You will have to Log In through a new institutional or individual subscription and then Sign In using your old username in order to access all saved annotations and searches, and to update your account information.
4. Can I use the digital Loeb Classical Library if I am not a subscriber?
If you are not a subscriber, you will be prompted to Log In after one page view.
5. Can I download volumes from the digital Loeb Classical Library?
No, the digital Loeb Classical Library is a website that is available to subscribers. An internet connection is required for access.
6. How do I search for works, authors, words, phrases, or Loeb volumes?
Enter the title of a work, name of an author, a word, or a phrase in the Search box in the upper-right corner of the screen. Use Advanced Search to search introductions, bibliographies, indexes, or other ancillary material. Use recto and verso in Advanced Search to limit searches to left-hand, Greek/Latin (verso), or right-hand, English (recto) pages. Author Browse, Greek Works Browse, and Latin Works Browse may also be used to find titles and authors of works. To find a specific volume by Loeb volume number or title, use Volume Browse. Use the filters on the left-hand side of the results page to narrow choices by work (Greek or Latin), author, form (poetry or prose), period, or genre/subject. Use the Go To Section button to navigate by a work's book, chapter, line number, or other canonical citation.*
7. How do I know how many instances of a word or phrase occur on a particular page?
Search results indicate how many instances of your search term appear on the page, including in the notes.
8. How do I type in Greek?
You can use the Greek keyboard on the right-hand side of the Search box, or you can use your own Greek keyboard. Diacritics are not required, but if you use the provided Greek keyboard, you should enter iota subscripts as iota adscripts.
9. How do I read a volume from cover to cover?
Start by navigating to the volume’s landing page by clicking the LCLnumber located above each right-hand, English (recto) page. The Table of Contents will allow you to access each portion of the volume in sequence. Once inside a particular work, continuing to scroll will move you throughout that work, even if it spans multiple volumes.
10. Can I search by book, chapter, or line number?
Yes. Use the Go To Section button located above the left-hand, Greek/Latin (verso) pages of any work to open the enhanced navigation pane. Each work in the Library can be navigated by canonical sections appropriate to that work. Line numbers are the first to be noted on any given page. For works with multiple citation systems (e.g., Plato’s Republic), consult the Table of Contents for alternative divisions. If you have a Greek, Latin, or English term from the citation, you may also use the “Search within work” box located in the toolbar at the bottom of the page to find the relevant passage. For more information, please see Browsing the Library.
11. How do I get to an introduction, bibliography, or index?
If you are searching for a particular term in an introduction, bibliography, or index, use the Advanced Search option. If you wish to read the introduction, bibliography, or index of a particular Loeb volume, navigate to the Table of Contents by clicking the LCLnumber located above each right-hand, English (recto) page.
12. How do I view footnotes?
Click on footnote reference numbers or letters that appear in the text. Footnote text appears in a separate window. Footnotes that do not have a footnote reference number or letter (usually textual notes) appear as static text on the page.
13. Can I print portions of the Library?
Yes, if you are a subscriber or an authorized patron of a subscribing institution. The printer icon on the toolbar formats the text and translation that you see on the screen appropriately.*
14. What is My Loebs?
This feature—accessible to individual subscribers and authorized patrons of subscribing institutions—allows users to manage saved searches, bookmarks, and annotations. It also enables users to manage their personal accounts.*
15. How do I highlight and annotate?
Use the cursor to select the text you wish to annotate. The selected text will be highlighted in blue, and an annotation icon will appear. Click on the annotation icon, and a box will appear in which an annotation can be entered. Annotated text will be highlighted in yellow. If you do not wish to see the highlighting, click the hide annotations icon in the toolbar at the bottom of the page.*
16. How do I save searches, bookmarks, and annotations?
To save searches and bookmarks, click on the bookmark icon, which is in the upper-right part of results pages or in the toolbar at the bottom of content pages. You will be offered the option to save annotations when you annotate. Use the Collections feature to name and categorize bookmarks or groups of bookmarks. Searches, bookmarks, and annotations are saved in My Loebs.*
17. How do I share searches, bookmarks, and annotations?
You can do this by clicking the message icon in the upper-right of results pages and in the toolbar at the bottom of contents pages. A link to the relevant page will be generated for you to share.
18. Are MARC records available?
A MARC record set for the digital Loeb Classical Library is freely available under a Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license.** Click to download the record set from Harvard University Press [.mrc, 974 KB, file date 06-11-2024].
You may also download a human-readable ten-record sample set in MarcEdit Mnemonic format. Click to download.
19. Is a KBART-compliant title list available?
Yes. Click to download the KBART-compliant file from Harvard University Press [.txt, 130 KB, file date 06-11-2024].
20. How and how frequently is the metadata updated?
The MARC record set and KBART-compliant title list are updated semiannually, when new content is added to the digital Loeb Classical Library.
A file containing MARC record(s) for only the most recent addition(s) to the Library is also available. Click to download [.mrc, 9 KB, file date 06-11-2024].
21. Are usage statistics available to subscribers?
Administrative contacts at subscribing institutions can access monthly COUNTER 5 Database Report 1 and Platform Report 1 reports by logging into their account management portal at ams.hup.harvard.edu.
22. Are Loeb print books and Loeb digital books identical?
The contents of the print books are mirrored in the digital Library. Some formatting has necessarily changed for the digital environment, such as footnotes, but the page numbers and the substantive content are identical.
23. How do I cite the digital Library?
A complete bibliographical reference is provided at the bottom of each Table of Contents, which can be accessed by clicking the LCL number located above each right-hand (recto, English) page. Because the page numbers and substantive content of the print and digital editions are identical, any volume in digital Library can be cited just like a printed book, or alternatively by its DOI (Digital Object Identifier), located in small print beneath the left-hand, Greek/Latin (verso) page.
24. How often is the digital Library updated?
The digital Library is normally updated twice a year, spring and fall, when new Loeb print books are published.
25. What happens when a new translation replaces an old one?
The Loeb Classical Library declares an old volume out of print when a new or revised translation replaces it. The digital Library will similarly replace old volumes with newer ones when they are published in print. Any annotations made to an older volume will be saved in perpetuity even if the volume itself is no longer discoverable.
26. Whom do I contact if a link is broken or if my saved content is lost?
If you believe such a problem is with the site and not with your ability to access, please contact loebclassics_admin@harvard.edu. For access-related issues, please contact loebclassics_sales@harvard.edu.
27. How do I report typos or other errors?
Please report errors in the text by emailing loebclassics_admin@harvard.edu. While we may not respond directly, your message will be given careful consideration by our editorial staff.
28. Where can I find Loeb print books?
The Loeb Classical Library continues to publish books in print, which are available at bookstores and through online retailers. You can also order Loeb books directly from Harvard University Press and via the “View cloth edition” link located above each right-hand, English (recto) page.
* The features described may be available only to individual subscribers and to authorized patrons of subscribing institutions.
**To the extent possible under law, Harvard University Press has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to the Digital Loeb Classical Library MARC Record Set. This work is published from: United States.
