Research Options

The United Library’s primary mission is to support your research and learning so that you can prepare yourself to be a highly regarded and bold Christian leader for the church, academy and world. As one of the largest theological libraries in the nation, we hold about 400,000 volumes, subscribe to more than 500 periodicals, and provide access to numerous electronic resources in partnership with the Northwestern University Library. To assist your research the library offers a few different research options.

 

  • Explore the library catalog. To find books, journals or audiovisual materials, visit the library’s online catalog which provides access not only to the United Library holdings but also to the NU Library holdings.
  • Navigate the electronic databases. You can search scholarly articles and reviews in one of our electronic databases. Our databases page provides a list of databases that you may use most frequently, but if you cannot find what you need, check NU Library’s electronic resources page. You may find it there.
  • Browse our libguides. Designed by your librarians to facilitate your academic research and learning, libguides are online portals to high quality research information in print, audiovisual, and electronic formats. Search by subject/topic or class to retrieve the guide of your interest. You can read the guide on the screen or print and/or email it if you prefer. Only one libguide is currently available, but more will be added in the near future.
  • Utilize the interlibrary loan services. If you cannot find the item you need either in the United Library or NU Library, fill out the ILL request form and submit it in person at the circulation desk or via email (united.ill@garrett.edu). We will do our best to acquire the item from other libraries.  
  • Attend one or more of the library workshops. These one-hour sessions will equip you with the research skills and information technologies that will prepare you well for your study and ministry.
  • Check out our online tutorials if you missed our workshops. There are helpful video demos and tutorials as well as handouts that you may find useful.
  • Make an appointment for a research consultation with our reference librarian. During a research consultation we can answer your specific questions about your research and give you helpful tips for research strategies.

 

Our reference and public services librarians are available to give you an orientation about our collections and resources and to answer any kinds of questions that you may have. Please help us serve you by choosing one or more options below: