"I have had very positive experiences with UW librarians who have been extremely helpful with developing skills for utilizing libraries for research, especially literature reviews. There is so much to learn as a PhD student and I continually try to remind myself that I don't need to know everything, I just need to know who knows what I need to learn next and how I can ask them for help."

Information Sciences, PhD

"The librarians supported my literature review process to be much more efficient. Uniquely my research incorporated digital storytelling methodology and the libraries were able to help me identify resources for creative commons materials."

School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, PhD

The University of Washington Libraries is not just one library but a network of 16 different libraries on the three UW campuses (Seattle, Tacoma, and Bothell) plus an outpost on San Juan Island. Many libraries have a special disciplinary focus with unique material related to the discipline, as well as, librarians with subject expertise. New graduate students should visit their campus' library website to become familiar with the basic resources and services of the UW Libraries.

UW Libraries Seattle -
- Some of the specialized libraries based on the Seattle campus:
  - Engineering Library
  - Foster Business Library
  - Gallagher Law Library (not administratively part of the UW Libraries)
  - Health Sciences Library
  - Tateuchi East Asia Library
UW Tacoma Library
UW Bothell Library

UW Libraries Search

UW Libraries Search is the main search tool (i.e., catalog) for discovering books, films, and other material available at the UW Libraries across all three campuses. It also includes material available at our partner academic libraries in the Pacific Northwest (Summit) as well as articles covering all fields.

UW Libraries Search is a good place to start your research especially if you are looking for material held at the UW Libraries or want to do a one-stop, broad search across disciplines and material formats. Search results can be filtered based on availability, campus, format, language, publication date, and more. The Advanced Search option provides more choices to frame your search.

Students can access material from any UW campus library with their NetID (online items such as ebooks and articles) or Husky Card (physical items such as printed books). In addition, you can request books from our Summit partner libraries via UW Libraries Search.

Learn more on the UW Libraries Search FAQ.

screenshot showing basic search version (single search box) of UW Libraries Search

Research Guides

One of the first steps in library research is to determine the most relevant databases for scholarly material in your field. Though UW Libraries Search is a good starting point, the UW Libraries provides access to hundreds of specialized, subject-specific databases for in-depth research. So where to start?

Research guides, created by librarians with disciplinary expertise, list the major databases for more than 50 subject areas. Depending on the subject, guides can include links to specialized encyclopedias and handbooks, ejournals, standards, primary sources, non-English sources, streaming media, and more. In addition, most research guides include contact information for the subject librarian.

All three campuses plus the Health Sciences Library have a suite of research guides for you to use. If your research is interdisciplinary, you may want to check multiple research guides to identify relevant databases and resources.

Subject Librarians

A subject librarian (sometimes called a liaison librarian) is your personal guide to the UW Libraries. They are responsible for purchasing library materials, providing research advice, and instructing UW students in the research tools and methods of each discipline. In other words, your subject librarian can help you find the resources you need for your research.

Subject librarians can be found on research guides discussed above and also via directories arranged by subject/department specialities: Seattle, Tacoma, Bothell, and Health Sciences.

portraits of subject librarians Madison Sullivan: Art & Drama (UW Seattle), Michael Mungin: Psychology & Sociology (UW Bothell), Erika Bailey: Business, Geospatial Technologies, History & Urban Studies (UW Tacoma), Kian Flynn: Global Studies & Geography (UW Seattle), Hyokyoung Yi: Korean Studies (UW Seattle)

Start getting to know your librarian early on, as they can help you at every step of the way in your research journey. You can make an appointment (many have online calendars so that you can easily book time) to meet over Zoom and eventually, once the campus is fully open, in person. Not sure how to start a conversation with your librarian? It's ok to not have a question. They are happy to just chat and get to know you and learn about your research interests. Here are some ways subject librarians can help:

Identify databases, journals, and resources relevant to your research
Find helpful search strategies
Brainstorm and developing a topic, thesis, or research question
Evaluate materials for multiplicity of perspective and voice
Refer you to library and campus resources for funding, professional development, and more
Manage your data and citations
Recommend cheap and tasty restaurants near campus

In addition, the UW Libraries offers 24/7 real-time, online help via AskUs (a link to AskUs is available on every UW Libraries webpage). This chat service is fast, easy to use, and can be used to get help with all types of questions.