The University of Iowa has EIGHT campus libraries that are spread out across the UI campus. 

Here is a full list of them: 

1. Main Library

The Main Library is the largest library on campus. You will find the Food4Thought Cafe and 24/5 (Sunday-Friday) Learning Commons with many group study rooms and lounge areas. The main subjects at the Main Library are Humanities, Social Sciences, Political Science, Psychology, American & English literature, and Chinese and Japanese studies. You will also find a new reading area, with newspapers and magazines called The Perch. 

Special Collections & University Archives is located in the Main Library on the 3rd Floor, where you can find rare books and special collections that include archival materials, like manuscripts, textiles, film memorabilia, and more. 

2. Art Library

The Art Library is housed in the Art Building West, and is located across the river from the main part of campus, overlooking a beautiful pond. You will find books, materials, and information related to Art studies, Fine Arts, and Art theory. 

3. Hardin Library for the Health Sciences

Hardin Library is located near UI Hospitals & Clinics and directly services research & information needs of the UI Colleges of Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Public Health and the UI Hospitals and Clinics. You will find books and materials related to Pre-Med, Dentistry, Nursing, and Pre-Pharmacy, among many other majors. 

4. Pomerantz Business Library

The Business Library is housed in the Tippie College of Business and serves the information needs of students and faculty in the College of Business, and majors in Business Administration, Marketing, Finance, Economics, and International Business. They have a brand new space called the BizHub with lots of lounge and study space. 

5. Lichtenberger Engineering Library 

The Engineering Library is housed in the Seaman's Center in the College of Engineering and serves the information needs of students and faculty with the College of Engineering and for those majoring in Engineering, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Informatics, and Computer Science. The Engineering Library has a maker space with tools, machines, and materials for creating and working on robotic, computer, and engineering projects. They also have a tool library including basic tools, power tools, 3D scanners, and even Virtual and Alternate Reality equipment. 

6. Sciences Library

The Sciences Library is located near the Pentacrest, on Iowa Avenue. The Sciences Library serves the information and research needs of students and faculty in Biology, Chemistry, Astronomy, Environmental Sciences, Geosciences, Mathematics, and Physics. 

7. Rita Benton Music Library

The Music Library is located in the UI School of Music in the Voxman Building. The Music Library serves the needs of students and faculty in the School of Music. You will find materials and resources related to majors in Music education, Music Performance, and more. Students can check out records, CDs, sheet music, scores, and more. 

8. Law Library

The Law Library is located in the Boyd College of Law and serves faculty and students in the College of Law, including pre-law majors. The Law Library is separate and independent from the other UI Libraries through their association with the College of Law. Any student is allowed to study and use their spaces, however there are some materials and resources that are restricted to College of Law students and faculty. 

Watch the video below to learn about what open access is, and where you can find free research papers for assignments!

Free and Open Access Resources:

JSTOR is a library resource that collects scholarly and academic research journals and articles.

You can access some of JSTOR's content for free. Check it out!

JSTOR Daily

This is the news publication where you can read about current events through a scholarly or academic lens. 

JSTOR - Open and Free Content

The JSTOR database also publishes academic and scholarly articles that are open to the public, meaning they are free and accessible to everyone. 

Google Scholar

Search for free, accessible scholarly articles across a wide variety of topics and academic disciplines. 

Directory of Open Access Journals

The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) is a collection of freely-available academic journals. Use the search box above to search for your subject, or click on the link to go to their website and learn more.

These databases are just a few of the thousands the UI Libraries subscribes to allowing anyone with a HawkID to use. Check with an instructor in UpWard Bound to see if you have access.

Database

A searchable collection of information sources that include articles, journals, websites, and newspapers. The library has thousands of databases; some that are general and some that are specialized for different topics and professional career fields. 

Catalog

The catalog is where you can search the library's holdings, including digital and electronic resources but primarily physical items, including books, films, and across articles and journals housed in databases. Find specific items by searching author, title, or by topic using keywords. Here at the University of Iowa Libraries, this is called InfoHawk+. 

Call Number

A unique string of letters and numbers that represents the location of a physical item, such as a book, bound journal, or DVD. Think of it as the book or item's address where it lives in the library. For example, [ E184.A1 A63625 2018 ] is the call number for American Like Me by America Ferrera. 

Peer Review

An editorial and publishing process for academic articles to be published in an academic journal, usually written by someone in an academic field, such as a professor or scientist. When an author submits an article or book for publication, it must undergo "peer review" which means other experts in their field review and critique their work for final publication. A Peer Reviewed article is a scholarly article your professor in college may ask you to use when writing or doing research. 

Scholarly Source

An article or book that is written by someone in an academic field, such as a professor or scientist that is often written for academic audiences like students, faculty, and other researchers at a college or university. Most scholarly sources, but not all, are peer-reviewed and are great places to look for in-depth studies, theories, and evidenced-based information where the author has done extensive research on the topic. 

Popular Source

A piece of written information, such as a newspaper or magazine article, website or blog that is written for the general public. Popular sources are great for background or general information that cite real-world examples. These are great sources to use especially when doing research on a very current or hot button topic or issue where there hasn't yet been a lot written in academic journals, like a pop culture issue or new developments. 

Journal Article

A type of source, that can be scholarly when written for an academic audience and published in academic or professional journals and popular when written for the public in newspapers, like the New York Times or for magazines like Time. These articles can be found within the databases we subscribe to. 

Permalink

A permanent hyperlink or URL of an article or record of an item in InfoHawk+ that can be used to help others navigate back to the original item where they can access it. This is better to copy and paste rather than the full URL in the browser.