The Northwestern University Libraries welcomes students back to campus for the first day of fall quarter classes! Whether you are just getting to know the libraries or are a regular ready for a refresher, we are here for you.
Huge news for the beginning of the year – Mudd Library spaces are now open all hours, 24/7. Open study spaces in Mudd are some of the most popular on campus, and now all students with an active Wildcard can use them at all hours. Staffing at the circulation desk will still only be available at certain hours, so be sure to check our Hours page if you need to check out a book or other courtesy items like chargers.
Library locations
The University and Deering Libraries are at the heart of campus, housing millions of books, periodicals, journals and multimedia, as well as the Art Library, Music Library, Transportation Library, Melville J. Herskovits Library of African Studies, and Charles Deering McCormick Library of Special Collections and University Archives. From leisure reading to unique, one-of-a-kind objects, collections in these libraries are available to you to browse or request for use via NUsearch. Materials can be delivered to the Main Circulation Desk for pickup or be delivered to a home address. Non-circulating materials from special collections can be viewed in the McCormick Reading Room – see how to Plan A Visit and request your materials.
The Seeley G. Mudd Library is situated near the Technological Institute on the second floor of Mudd Hall. Mudd Library is available with Wildcard access at all hours, 24/7. Mudd houses a GIS lab, MakerLab and Video Production Studio equipped with a Lightboard, and its open study spaces are some of the most popular on campus.
The Boas Mathematics Library is accessible to Northwestern community members with an active Wildcard, with no staff assistance. The building is open for 24-hours with keycard access for Northwestern Mathematics and Statistics graduate students and faculty.
Course materials
Instructors may place required and recommended course materials on Course Reserve for class use. Physical items, such as books and DVDs, can be checked out from the circulation desks at University Library and Mudd Library on a shortened loan period. Digitized items, such as book chapters, journal articles and streamed audio and video, can be accessed through Canvas.
Materials we do not have can be requested with interlibrary loan – we will attempt to borrow the material from one of our hundreds of partner institutions around the world. You can also request to have chapters or articles scanned and delivered to you, both from our collection and from the collections of our partner institutions.
Reservable spaces
The Libraries have open spaces for both quiet and collaborative study. Quiet study spaces throughout our buildings have tables and comfortable seats, and collaborative study spaces have whiteboards, moveable seating and tables, and screen-sharing capabilities.
Long-term carrel desks may be assigned to graduate students, faculty, or undergraduates working on a senior honors thesis. If you have a carrel assignment, you can store library books there for an extended period, unless they are recalled for Course Reserve. Applications for study carrels open on September 19.
You can also reserve a space for your specific needs – carrel desks for individual exams and presentations, enclosed meeting rooms for groups, and even a vocal recording booth for recorded projects like podcasts and recorded interviews. Check our calendar for available time slots for reservable spaces.
Student groups can request space for events, tabling and meetings by filling out the form at libraries.nu/libraryspace.
Special equipment and software
Along with the vocal recording booth, the Libraries make available for use and lending specialized equipment. Multimedia readers such as Microform/microfiche readers, VHS players, DVD Drives and Floppy Disk Drives are available for use in the library.
PC and Macs in University, Deering, Mudd and Math have a full suite of standard software, and many are equipped with specialized software for individuals with disabilities. For remote use, NUworkspace offers users a Windows virtual desktop with a suite of software applications for remote University work. Log in with your NetID to use NUworkspace.
Printing is available in University, Deering, and Mudd Libraries and can be accessed through Northwestern Print, including a plotter printer that can print posters and banners. Scanners are also available throughout the buildings.
University and Mudd Libraries also have equipment such as cameras, microphones, headphones, chargers, laptops and tablets available by request. You can see a list of loanable equipment on the Library AV and Tech Equipment guide.
Online resources and databases
NUsearch searches our collection for books, journals, images, articles and multimedia. You can also browse hundreds of databases and journals in an A-Z list.
Hit a paywall while searching online? You can search for access in our online resources using NUsearch – or by using the Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox extensions. Just install to your browser and click the extension; if we have institutional access to the resource, you will be redirected to sign into it for free with your NetID.
You can search for finding aids for collections from the Charles Deering McCormick Library of Special Collections and University Archives, Melville J. Herskovits Library of African Studies, Music Library and Transportation Library through the Archival and Manuscript Collections portal. Finding aids provide information about the creation and historical context of a collection, explain how it is organized, and outline its contents, so that you can identify and request the materials relevant to your research.
Librarians with specific expertise also maintain research guides on many topics, which you can both browse and search by subject.
Research consultations
Our staff and faculty are here to aid you in your research and coursework!
Subject specialists are here for you when you’re researching – you can set up a research consultation with a librarian with expertise in your discipline.
Librarians also hold workshops on how to use bibliographic tools like Zotero and EndNote to keep track of your research, along with other research topics like literature reviews and systematic reviews. Workshops are held both in-person and online. Keep an eye on our Events Calendar and our social media for fall quarter workshops.
Librarians specialize in Scholarly Research Services like fair use assessment for copyright, data analysis, and collaboration on digital humanities and digital publishing projects.
Chicago campus and Distance Education
Students and faculty based primarily on the Chicago campus can request books to be sent to an office or home address. Select “Home Address” from the “Pickup/Delivery Location” drop-down menu. Supply the address in the “Notes” field. To see further instructions, visit Off-campus delivery.
All remote services and electronic resources above are available to Chicago and distance education students with a valid NetID.
Research consultations can be held by appointment in-person in Wieboldt Hall. Contact Tracy Coyne, SPS and Distance Education Librarian, at tracy-coyne@northwestern.edu to schedule an appointment.
Feinberg School of Medicine students and faculty have access to collections and services at the Galter Health Sciences Library & Learning Center. Pritzker School of Law students and faculty have access to collections and services at the Pritzker Legal Research Center.
And more!
Visit us for to go Across the Library-Verse on September 26 and 27 to get to know us, and get a free shirt and some snacks.
Email library@northwestern.edu, call 847-491-7658, or chat with us at libraries.nu/AskUs to get started. Good luck!