Skip to Main Content
Loyola University Chicago Logo
University Libraries

Library Orientation for Graduate and Professional New Students

Library Orientation for Graduate and Professional Enrollment Management New Student Week

University Libraries

The University Libraries are comprised of five libraries and two archives spread across three Chicagoland campuses, plus the Rome Center.  These libraries are Cudahy Library and the Information Commons on the Lake Shore Campus, Lewis Library and the Law Library on the Water Tower Campus, and the Health Sciences Library at the Maywood Campus.  The archives include the University Archives and Special Collections and the Women and Leadership Archives at the Lake Shore Campus.

Library Spaces - All of our library spaces are open and available to any of you.  Cudahy Library is the home for the collections related to the arts, humanities, and the sciences.  The entrance to Cudahy Library is through the Information Commons (IC) at the Lake Shore Campus.  Lewis Library is the home for collections related to our professional programs in business, communication, education, and social work.  The entrance to Lewis Library is on the 6th floor of Corboy Law Center at the Water Tower Campus.  The Law Library is also in the Corboy Law Center. The entrance to the Law Library is on the 3rd floor.  The Health Sciences Library is located on the 1st floor of the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing at the Health Sciences Campus.  Each location has:

  • Computer workstations for both groups and individuals
  • Silent study spaces
  • Group and individual study room at Cudahy, IC, and Lewis can be reserved at http://libraries.luc.edu/reservations.

Cudahy Library also has Graduate Study Carrels. Study carrels are available to PhD candidates who are either 1) doing dissertation research, or 2) studying for comprehensive exams. Carrel assignments are on a first-come, first-served basis, and there is often a wait list. Please contact David Schmidt with questions about availability.

Cudahy and Lewis libraries also have Graduate Study Lounges:

  • Cudahy Library - Graduate students can borrow a Study Lounge key at the Cudahy Circulation Desk. The key will open either of the lounge areas on the 3rd floor.
  • Lewis Library - Graduate students can use the Collaborative Study Space located at Corboy, Lewis Library. Proceed to the 6th floor library entrance, and then use the library elevator to the 9th Floor, Room 900.

Our archive spaces are both at the Lake Shore Campus.  The University Archives and Special Collections is located on the 2nd floor of Cudahy Library.  The Women and Leadership Archives is on the 3rd floor of Piper Hall.  You need to make an appointment to visit both spaces or use any of their collections.

Some of you may not be in Chicago or on campus and may be concerned about how you will accomplish your research.  Most of our library resources and services are available online.  

Access to books — Search our online catalog of one million physical books, including the Popular Reading and Curriculum collections, between the Lake Shore and Water Tower campuses.  Graduate students can check out books for the entire semester.

  • Find scholarly works for research projects and class assignments.
  • Read something for fun in our Popular Reading collections at both campuses.
  • Lewis Library at the Water Tower Campus is home to the Curriculum Collection, a collection of curriculum guides, lesson planning materials, and children’s literature from Early Childhood to 12th Grade. The Curriculum Collection mainly supports our students in the teacher preparation programs but is open to everyone.

Access to electronic resources — Loyola Libraries subscribe to over 400 databases for online journal subscriptions for peer-reviewed articles. Our online catalog provides access to thousands of academic ebooks, and streaming video services.

  • Find electronic Course Reserve material that faculty have requested be available for you.  Course Reserves can include journal articles and book chapters that are required reading for your classes.
  • Most electronic books have unlimited use, but some are restricted by the publishers to one or three users.  It will say in the catalog if there is a limit.
  • Keep in mind that we are not always able to get an electronic version of a book, even if it’s available electronically through Amazon or a public library.  The publisher has to offer an institutional license.
  • Loyola Libraries subscribe to almost a dozen streaming video services, including Kanopy.
  • Read ebooks or listen to audiobooks on Libby!

InterLibrary Loan — Any journal article not available through one of our 400 databases can be requested free of charge from other libraries. Do not pay for articles behind paywalls on Google or Google Scholar!  You can also request books and book chapters. 

  • Journal articles and book chapters are sent as a PDF, typically within 48 business hours. 
  • Books must be picked up at the library.  Please allow up to 10 days for delivery.
  • Find out more information and request materials at https://illiad.luc.edu/illiad/IAL/logon.html.

Get Help with all of the above! — Ask your librarian! Subject Specialist Librarians are available for research assistance throughout your academic journey.

  • Find your Subject Specialist - https://libraries.luc.edu/specialists
  • Send questions by email.
  • Meet with a librarian one-on-one in person or via Zoom web conferencing software.
  • Schedule a meeting with your group projects, or research group - https://libcal.luc.edu/appointments
  • Request a class visit. As an active partner in the teaching and learning process, librarians teach library research skills to classes and small groups.
  • Assistance is also available 24/7 by clicking on the “Ask a Librarian” link on our website or the chat tab on this page.
JavaScript disabled or chat unavailable.

Library subject specialists can provide customized guidance for research in all academic disciplines. Specialists are also available to consult with faculty on finding and obtaining materials needed for classroom or research purposes.

Always start from the library homepage - libraries.luc.edu - or the library's databases to access our subscriptions.  Log in to "My Library Account" to make sure you have access to all the electronic resources! 

 

Bookmark the Library Website, school/major/program library research guide and the databases A-Z list. 

Download LibKey Nomad. LibKey Nomad is a free plugin that helps you access fulltext articles. Download the LibKey Nomad browser plugin for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge. Choose "Loyola University Chicago" from the drop-down list when asked to select your institution. Once it knows you're affiliated with Loyola University Chicago, LibKey Nomad checks the web page of the article you're viewing to see if the PDF is available through Loyola University Chicago Libraries. If it is, you'll see a graphic in your browser window that looks like this:

Use a Citation Management system. Citation managers (Zotero, Mendeley, Endnote), also called bibliographic management software, can save time by:

  • Keeping track of reference sources
  • Downloading citations from article databases or book catalogs
  • Automatically formatting bibliographies in MS Word or Google Docs
  • Creating bibliographies in different publication styles

See our guide on Citation Managers for more information.

For Graduate, Research, and Teaching Assistants (GAs, RAs, and TAs)

Use these forms to register as a proxy user for a faculty member.  Proxy user status allows you to request or check out materials on behalf of a professor with whom you are working.  The items you request or check out for them goes on their library account, not yours.