Your Wildcard is Your Key to Access the Libraries

All Northwestern University Libraries have a gate at entry which you can pass through using your Wildcard.

Use your Wildcard to "check out"* books and other materials. 

Use your Northwestern NetID and password (same as for your NU email account) to access online materials provided by the Libraries which include ebooks, articles in journals and magazines, streaming video, digital collections, your library account, and much more. 

*  Check Out = take material out of the library

You can see what you have checked out using the My Account button available top right of all pages on the library website

You can also use your Library Account to "renew"** material that you have checked out if you need to use it past the "due date"***

**  Renew = extend the loan period for the material you have checked out

*** Due Date = the date by which you must return material that is checked out.
Material returned after the "due date" may result in a fine.

Review the Libraries' Borrowing Policies page to learn more about loan periods, number of renewals permitted, due date and damaged material fines, and more.

Getting Books We Have

NUSearch - available on the NU Libraries' homepage - is the primary way to find out what is available at the NU Libraries.  Also included in NUSearch are materials at the NU libraries on the Chicago campus - the Pritzker Legal Research Center and the Galter Health Sciences Library - as well as the Styberg Library of the Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary which is located on Sheridan Road between Lunt Hall and the Ford Engineering Design Center.

This short video (1:12 min) demonstrates how to use NUSearch to find books.

You can request that books be delivered to the campus library of your choice . You will be notified by email when the item(s) requested are available for pick up (usually within 24-48 hours Mondays -- Fridays). Faculty, graduate students, and distance education students can request off-campus or office delivery.  To use this service, login to your library account from the library website before searching.

This short video (2:29 min) illustrates how to request book delivery.

OR 

You are welcome to go to the bookshelves to get materials you identify using NUSearch.  There are two options.

1. Click on the title of interest in the result list. In the more complete record that displays, click the LOCATE link as shown in a red box in the image below.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Each book in the NU Libraries has a unique CALL NUMBER which puts it on the shelves near other books on the same subject.
   
   When you click on the LOCATE icon (shown in the image above) the CALL NUMBER for the book - its shelf location - will display along with the library location (MAIN in the example below), floor number (LEVEL 2) and tower where the book is shelved (NORTH TOWER).  This information is highlighted with a red box in picture below.  There is also a circle icon on a building map showing the book's approximate location.
   
   
   
   OR
    
2. Use the Book Location Guide - find the library location named in the NUSearch record and the beginning letters or numbers of the call number.  You will be directed to the floor and tower (North, East, or South) where the book can be found.  Paper copies of the Book Location Guide are available at the Information Desk and the Circulation Desk on the ground floor of University Library.

Getting Part of a Book

Sometimes you don't need an entire book, but only a chapter within it.  This short video (1:52 min) illustrates how to request a scan of that chapter.

Getting Things from Oak Grove Library Center 

If something you found using NUSearch has a location of Oak Grove Library Center, this short video (1:08 min) illustrates how to request it be delivered to the campus library of your choice.

Getting Books or Articles We Don't Have

The NU Libraries collaborates with libraries worldwide to share materials for research use.  This service is called Inter-Library Loan - often referred to by its acronym, ILL.  Books, articles from journals, materials preserved on microfilm, videos/DVDs/CDs, all variety of library materials can be requested through ILL.  Whether to lend an item is up to the library that owns it, and some items such as rare or valuable materials, fragile materials, ebooks, course textbooks, among others, may not be sent.

Journal articles and book chapters can be scanned and delivered fairly quickly - 2-3 days.  Copyright law limits the amount of any published item that can be scanned.  

Books, DVDs, and other physical items that must be delivered through the mail will take longer to arrive - 7-10 days on average.

This short video (1:12 min) shows how to request something using ILL.

Getting Books That Aren't in English

The NU Libraries has materials in many languages. Using NUSearch to find materials in non-English languages, you have two options:

1)  Include the language of interest in your search when using the ADVANCED SEARCH screen.  Notice the pull-down menu on the right side of the search box as shown highlighted in red below

OR

2)  Once you have a search result, you can limit to a specific language using the LANGUAGE filter available on the left side of the search result display.  The image below highlights the Language Filter in the red box on the left side of image, toward the bottom. 

At the top of the list of available Filters you see that CHINESE is an ACTIVE FILTER. All the items in the result display match both the keyword "novel" and are in Chinese. 

You can remove any Active Filter by clicking on the small X next to it.

There are many filters available including DATE OF PUBLICATION, whether something is AVAILABLE IN THE LIBRARY* or AVAILABLE ONLINE, by the FORMAT of the type of material such as BOOK, ARTICLE, VIDEO, etc.   

*   AVAILABLE IN THE LIBRARY = the library has this in a tangible format, either in
print, on microfilm, on DVD, etc. It is not online.  If it is an item that can be
checked out, it may be temporarily out of the library.

How Many Books and How Long

How many books can you check out* from the Libraries at one time?  How long can you keep them?  What if you need to keep them longer? (NOTE: in library jargon, to keep a book longer than its original due date is to RENEW a book).  This chart provides the answers to questions about how many books and how long you can keep them. 

*  Check Out = take material out of the library

What Else Can I Borrow From NU Libraries

Laptop chargers, laptop computers, iPAD, white board markers, headphones, camera, tripod, umbrellas, and more.

• Equipment for Checkout 
• Equipment Summary

This short video (0:44 min) illustrates how to print using NUPrint in the NU Libraries

There are plotter printers for oversize printing in both Main and Mudd Libraries.  Information on how to print (and pay for) posters is provided on the Plotter (Poster Printing) Guide.

You can reserve a room in the library for private or group study.

From the Library homepage select the USE THE LIBRARIES tab and click on the link to Library Rooms & Spaces.  Using the pull-down menu labeled FILTER BY ROOM TYPE, select STUDY & MEETING ROOMS.  Use the  FILTER BY FEATURE button on the right if you wish.

A list of available rooms will appear below.  The location and features of each room are listed. 

Click on the RESERVE ROOM button and select the day/date/time for your reservation.  You will need to find the room number in the list of rooms shown in the table that appears below the date on the page (on the left as shown below) and then make a reservation using the instructions provided at the top of the page.  The date can be changed!

Access your library account from any page of the website using the MY ACCOUNT button at the top right of the screen.  Login using your NetID and password.  You will be prompted to use the Multi Factor Authentication software to verify your affiliation with Northwestern.

When you are logged in, your name will appear at the top right of the screen and you can access your account from there at any time.  Several tabs give you access to information about your use of the library including what you have checked out, what requests you have made for book delivery, any fines for materials returned late, enrollment holds due to unpaid fines, and access to your InterLibrary Loan account.

Being logged in to your library account is helpful when searching NUSearch.  The REQUEST options highlighted below only appear when logged in to your library account.

Instructors have the option to place required and/or recommended materials on 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. Loan periods can be set at 2 hours, 4 hours, or 1 day.

Digitized items, such as scanned book chapters, journal articles and streamed audio and video, can be accessed through Canvas.  

The ‘Cats 4 ‘Cats Lending Library is a “take-a-book leave-a-book” collection where students donate their textbooks and other course materials for other students to use in future quarters for free. Any student can take materials they need for class, use it for the term and return it at the end of the quarter.

The collection can be found in Core, on Level 2 of University Library. Donation boxes are located year round in Mudd Library and the circulation desk in University Library.

The collection is updated regularly, but may not be fully current.

View the collection

For more information, visit the ASG website.

Questions? Contact asg-academic@u.northwestern.edu

If you begin your search for research articles, books, etc. on the open internet using Google or Google Scholar, rather than at the NU Libraries webpages, you will often be denied access to the full-text of articles until you pay a fee.

DO NOT PAY!

Install LibKey Nomad instead.

LibKey Nomad is a browser extension that enables one-click access to full text of articles from publisher pages, PubMed, Google, Wikipedia, and more, with no need to start at the library website. If direct access is not available, it automatically loads and fills out the Interlibrary Loan request form for you. Set your institution to Northwestern University in the extension settings.