As a CWU graduate student, you have access to millions of academic articles, journals, online collections, newspapers, e-books, videos, and databases, as well as digitized images, maps, letters and other documents. The best place to start your research is with OneSearch, the library's search engine tool for finding books, academic articles, newspapers and more.
You may also find yourself needing to use some of the library's more specialized collections or research tools. Explore the following sections to learn what else you have access to as a CWU student!
For more information about using OneSearch visit the Using OneSearch Resource Guide.
Accessing subject-specific databases directly can be a great way to further narrow your results, or search within a discipline.
Explore the A-Z Databases list
The following video explains how to explore them:
The CWU Archives and Special Collections are housed on the second floor of the Brooks Library. These collections contain University related historical resources along with local and regional history collections. The archives are a great place to find both physical and digitized primary sources and a collection of rare and unique books.
You may also find yourself needing to make use of a particular journal's content. To find and access a specific journal, refer to the Journal Search Page.
In the case of some older journal volumes, the library maintains them only in print, in which case they are kept in compact shelving storage. To request an item in storage, please go to the Circulation desk and request it by title, volume, and year.
The Music Library’s collection includes sound recordings, reference books, music books and scores, and more. The guides below provide more information on the music library and its resources.
The CWU Libraries government publications includes government documents at the local, state, and national levels. For more information check out the LibGuides below. Government publications are located on the 3rd floor of the library.
The Brooks Library Maps Collection includes maps developed by numerous different state and federal agencies, in addition to Atlases and travel maps. For more information, check out the LibGuide below. Physical copies are located on the 3rd floor of the library.
Microforms are print items that have been printed at a small scale, and can be viewed with a microform reader. The Brooks Library microform collection includes newspaper, periodicals, domestic and international government documents and more. The microforms room is located on the 3rd floor of the library.
As a graduate student you may want to reference or build upon work completed by a former CWU graduate student. You can find former CWU Masters thesis in our online and physical theses collections. Physical copies are located on the 2nd floor of the library, in the commons area.
Physical Theses: Using OneSearch to find physical theses can be made easier by following these search steps:
1) Select "CWU Resources" for your search scope
2) Select "Call Number"
3) Search for LD577*
4) Add additional search terms to limit your results
Graduate students who find a book or article they need that is not physically available to them at the James E. Brooks Library can take advantage of the Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service provided by the library. In addition to journal articles, book chapters and books, we are able obtain master’s theses, doctoral dissertations, conference proceedings, and newspapers among other materials from other libraries. Electronic materials will be emailed to you and physical materials will be sent to the CWU Libraries for you to pick up.
When requesting material we do not have, click on the "get it" box in order to request a physical copy or digital chapter.
You will then select and confirm the pickup location. Items can be requested to be sent to the Brooks Library, Des Moines, Lynwood, or mailed.
Some instructors may require materials for your course that will be in high demand. These are normally placed "on reserve" for a specific course. To get access to the course reserve for your class, visit the front desk. Find material on reserve for your course by searching OneSearch.
Use the Advanced Search in OneSearch to look for a course prefix and number, book title, or instructor name to find material placed on reserve through the library. Select the Course Reserves option in search feature before searching.
Ask CWU Libraries