National University Library Blog

Do you have specific questions you'd like to ask about the library or research? Or would you like to meet other students and learn from their questions? Get answers about finding resources for your literature review or assignments, navigating the library, exploring your topic, accessing articles, and more!

Taking place every Tuesday from 12:00 - 1:00PM (PST), the Library Office Hour: Open Q&A Study Session does not follow a structured agenda; drop in when you can, as often as you like. You can even use this session as a designated study hall to get your work done. Let us be your accountability partners!

Register here for a reminder every week.
 

In early January 2025, NU Library's NavigatorSearch and EBSCOhost databases are getting a new look with a fresh, modern interface. This update aims to enhance your research experience and improve accessibility. Want a sneak peek? Check it out here.

Please note that if you use Custom Folders to save resources, you will need to take a few easy steps to ensure that these resources transfer over to your updated account. See this FAQ for more information.
 

The 2024 election is right around the corner, so the library has put together a guide of online resources to help inform your vote! Check it out here.
 

Need help navigating the library? A "few" more articles? Assistance over the paywalls on the web? Someone to remind you that you are NOT alone and you CAN do this?

If any of the above describes you, no matter where you are on your academic journey (new, returning, undergrad, grad, etc.), please stop by Coffee and Research any time between 9:00am and 12:00pm every Saturday to chat with your librarians, Lauren and Stephanie. Learn more here.
 

The Business Mindset is an open, one-hour session that is perfect for any business student who wants support and accountability for their work from the Academic Success Center (ASC) and Library. Come to ask questions, conduct research, or just receive support and encouragement. The Business Mindset takes place every Thursday from 4-5PM (Pacific). Learn more here.
 

Are you an undergraduate student who is new to the library? We regularly offer live orientations to help you learn more about our resources and services. Additionally, we just developed a new on-demand version of the orientation that is available 24/7 and can serve as a stand-alone guide to the library or supplement your live orientation experience! Check it out here.
 

The library has developed a guide to help you learn more about citational justice. Also known as inclusive citation, this is an approach to citing the intellectual and creative work of individuals and groups with a diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Learn more about how you can incorporate citational justice into your own work here.
 

Nexis Uni, an academic research database for news, business, and legal sources, received an upgrade today to provide users with an even better search experience! You'll find a new look and feel, instant content summarization, and visualization of search results. Give it a test drive through the library here.
 

Class-based students and faculty, please be aware that a small change has been made to the Library link in NU Brightspace. Previously, it would link to a custom library landing page, but unfortunately, this page had become outdated and difficult to maintain. Taking this, and other factors, into consideration, we decided to update the Library link to now point to the library homepage. This will help to reduce confusion and also ensure that users have the latest resources.
 

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is a free borrowing service for NU students, faculty, and staff that allows you to request articles, books, and other materials when not available in full-text in the Library. We've just gone live with two new updates that we are excited to announce.

First, anyone with an nu.edu email address (including class-based students) can now create an interlibrary loan account to manage requests. This was previously only available to those with an ncu.edu email address. Second, when using NavigatorSearch, you will now see an ILL request link under results. Clicking this link will take you to your ILL account and start auto-populating a request form for you, helping to make the whole request process much faster and more streamlined.

We hope you enjoy these changes! Learn more about Interlibrary Loan here.
 

Frameworks are a core component of doctoral dissertations, but we've found that some students find it challenging to understand what they are, how they work, and how to locate them. To address this, the library has developed a new video series on locating theoretical and conceptual frameworks. Learn more and check out the videos here.
 

Please be aware that library resources may not be accessible from 10PM Sunday, April 28 to approximately 1AM Monday, April 29 (PDT) due to a planned maintenance outage for the library's login system.
 

The Open Educational Resources and Curriculum Support (OERCS) team in the library has done some incredible work this past year. By getting involved in the course development process and replacing costly textbooks with library-sourced materials and open educational resources, they have helped make learning more affordable here at National University. Check out the infographic below to learn more about what the OERCS team has accomplished!
 

Starting on April 1, 2024, Smart Search will be going away. This was the library's universal search tool for NU (class-based) students. It is being replaced by NavigatorSearch, which uses EBSCO Discovery Service. We've posted an informative video on our Credible Sources page where you can learn more. View it here.