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Faculty Services Guide

This guide presents an overview of library resources and services for Faculty.

Student Library Support

Library Guides

The Library Guides, also called LibGuides, are a collection of subject-specific guides and instructional how-to guides. From the main page, you view the guides grouped by a broad subject area or filter by group, type, or librarian. Note that each degree specialization has its own Library Guide filled with related selected databases, journals, books, dissertations, and more. These subject guides are a great starting point for becoming familiar with resources in that discipline.


Learn the Library Guide

Learn the Library is a comprehensive resource outlining the Library’s databases, resources, services, and tools for students within each School. It provides information on live and recorded workshops, self-paced tutorials, and various consultation services available to students. There are individual sections for each School highlighting subject-specific databases and self-paced tutorials benefiting a student throughout their program. This guide is an excellent place for new students to learn more about the library.


Research Process Guide

The Research Process guide provides information on specific databases, resources, and tools for students all throughout the dissertation or research process. These resources provide tips and tools for preparing search techniques, finding sources for literature reviews, locating theoretical frameworks, finding information about different research methods and designs, and more.


Interlibrary Loan Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Guide

Interlibrary Loan Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is a free borrowing service provided to currently enrolled students, faculty, and staff. It allows members to electronically request and receive articles, book chapters, reports, or other resources when unavailable in full text in Library. Please note that ILL services are not available for requesting print books. The Library also abides by current U.S. Copyright Law and Fair Use.

Frequently Asked Questions about ILL


RefWorks Guide

RefWorks is an online research management tool designed to help you gather, organize, store, annotate, and share all types of resources used in your research, assignments, or dissertation. See the RefWorks Guide to learn how to create an account, register for live training, get content into RefWorks, create APA-formatted references lists, and more.


Research Methods & Design Guide

The Research Methods & Design Guide outlines how to locate information about research methodology from reference books, scholarly articles and dissertations. It includes instruction on how the SAGE Research Methods database may be used to locate information about research design and methodology.

Live Library Workshops

Students, faculty, and staff may register to attend various live library workshops each month, including Library Orientation, Advanced Search Skills, RefWorks Power Hour, and the Library Dissertation Toolbox Series. Joining a live session is an excellent way to engage with library staff members and get answers to your library questions. Attendees to live sessions will also be provided with a link to the session recording. To register for upcoming live sessions, see the Library Events Calendar.

  • The Library Orientation workshop introduce students to the Library's website and will provide instructions on how to access the Library's research resources and services. This is the perfect session to start with for all new and current students.
  • The Advanced Search Skills workshop is an engaging, skill-building session that dives deep into database search techniques. Students learn techniques beyond basic keyword searching and identify ways to master Boolean operators, truncation, phrases, subject terms, field searching, and proximity searching. This session is highly recommended for all students.
  • The Library Basic Training workshop goes beyond Library Orientation to review the most important resources for your dissertation research. Learn how to search for scholarly articles and dissertations, place Interlibrary Loan requests, find information about research methodology and design, use Google Scholar, and more. This session is highly recommended for all doctoral students.

Dissertation Toolbox Workshop Series

The Dissertation Toolbox Workshop Series consists of engaging, skill-building workshops designed specifically for doctoral students. Students will learn how to effectively locate, evaluate, and use information relating to their dissertation research topics. Each toolbox session features a new research focus:

  • Finding & Staying Current on a Research Topic
  • Reading a Scholarly Article
  • Literature Gap & Future Research
  • Organizing Research
  • Citing Articles & Similar Resources
  • Evaluating & Using Information
  • Finding Grey Literature
  • Finding Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
  • Finding Seminal Works
  • Researching Theoretical & Conceptual Frameworks
  • Research Methods & Design
  • Finding Tests & Measurements

Searching 101 & Searching 102

The Searching 101 & 102 workshop recordings provide asynchronous instruction when students or faculty cannot attend the live workshops. Searching 101 reviews the basics of searching: Boolean logic, keywords versus subjects, using database thesauri, and truncation. Searching 102 builds upon the techniques taught in Searching 101 and includes field searching, nesting, proximity searching, and finding similar resources.

Additional recorded sessions are available on the Library Workshop Videos page.


Live Contact Support

During our posted hours, live real-time support is available via chat, phone, and text message by visiting the Library’s home page. You may also submit questions to our Ask a Librarian service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and we will respond during our business hours. Ask a Librarian is a great way to get an in-depth and timely response to your library questions.


Research Consultations

Research consultations are live, one-on-one sessions that provide in-depth, high-level, and customized research assistance with a reference librarian. These sessions are not meant to provide basic Library navigation and searching skills.

Areas of Assistance:

  • Developing a search strategy
  • Identifying relevant databases and journals
  • Finding and evaluating information resources
  • Discovering alternative search terms for a topic
  • Using advanced search techniques for specific databases
  • Narrowing search results

Note: If students need assistance with mechanics, writing style, or citation formatting, they should be directed to the Academic Coaches in the Academic Success Center.


RefWorks on Demand

RefWorks on Demand is a one-on-one support service providing basic troubleshooting and technology instruction on RefWorks, the NU Library's research management tool.

Areas of Assistance:

  • Reviewing installation requirements for the Save to RefWorks tool, Microsoft Word Write-N-Cite, or ProQuest RefWorks Citation Manager
  • Addressing specific questions on adding resources, creating bibliographies, and annotating documents in RefWorks
  • Troubleshooting basic functionality of RefWorks and its associated tools
  • Account issues and access

Required Prior to Session: