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Research & Find

UDC Search

Use UDC Search, our library catalog, to search for books, periodicals, media, most journal articles, and more. You can use UDC Search to find materials at all of the collections of the WRLC libraries, or just at UDC. 

Search:

A to Z Resource List

The A to Z Resource list is the comprehensive alphabetical list of subscription and free databases and collections you have access to through the UDC library. It is searchable by subject, vendor, and resource type.

Research Guides

UDC librarians have prepared numerous research guides, which cover general subjects (including every program taught at the University), specific topics, and particular courses.

The resources they point to are the best place to start your research in the area covered. 

Print Materials

At the Van Ness and Lamond-Riggs campuses, online, and through the Washington Research Library Consortium (WRLC), the UDC Library offers a wide range of materials for you to use: 

 

Circulating Materials

UDC students, faculty, and staff, as well as those affiliated with WRLC institutions, can check out print books and media from the UDC Library. 

 

Reference

The UDC Library's print reference collection, including dictionaries and encyclopedias, may be used on site at the Van Ness campus Main Library and the Lamond-Riggs library. 

 

Course reserves

You may be able to find your textbook in the library! Textbooks on reserve can be checked out for two hours at a time. Learn more about course reserves here

 

Washington Research Library Consortium (WRLC)

The UDC Library is a member of the Washington Research Library Consortium. UDC students, faculty, and staff can search for items at any of the other WRLC libraries in UDC Search and request delivery to UDC through Consortium Loan Service.  

 

Special Collections

  • Black Studies: The UDC Library offers a small collection of Black Studies titles for use on site at the Van Ness campus Main Library. 
  • Center for the Advancement of Learning Special Collection: A collection of print books on faculty development, learner engagement, instructional design, and online learning is available at the Van Ness campus Main Library.

 

UDC Archives

A wide range of materials on the history of UDC and its predecessor institutions (Antioch School of Law, Federal City College, Miner Normal School, Miner Teachers College, Washington Technical Institute, Wilson Normal School, and Wilson Teachers College) is available in the UDC Archives.

Contact archivist Chris Anglim by email at canglim@udc.edu or by phone at 202-274-5843 for further information.

 

Felix E. Grant Jazz Archives

The Felix E. Grant Jazz Archives at UDC is a research and resource center for the study, preservation, and continued development of one of America’s greatest original cultural treasures: jazz.

Online Materials

The library's online materials are available on- and off-campus making them great for researching wherever you are.

 

Databases

Library databases are organized and searchable online resources which provide access to information like articles, journals, e-books, and media.

Multi-Subject databases are broad and interdisciplinary. This means that they provide a lot of information across a wide variety of subjects and materials. Multi-subject databases are a great place to start your research because they can provide background information on a lot of areas. Popular multi-subject databases include Academic Search Premier, Opposing Viewpoints in Context, and ProQuest Multiple Database Search.

Subject Specific databases provide information in a single subject or field of research and study. Since these databases are narrower in their coverage, the material provided is more targeted. Subject specific databases cover things like nursing, education, science, history, math, communications, and more. Subject specific databases are a good place to find information if your researching a specific area or doing more advanced research. You can see a full list of our databases and narrow by topic on our A to Z Resource List.

 

E-Books

E-books are real books! They just happen to be available online. You can e-books in both UDC Search and the library's databases. Most e-books provide a table of contents and are searchable. E-books may be checked out and/or downloaded by chapter.

 

Digital Repository

The UDC Library's digital repository contains digitized materials from the Felix E. Grant Jazz Archives, issues of the Black Film Review and theses written by students at UDC and predecessor institutions.