8 things to know about the University Libraries
The University Libraries have a lot to offer. Here are 8 resources and services to help you ace your courses, meet people, relax and enjoy your time at CU Boulder.
1. Library spaces across campus
We have 5 libraries on campus—Norlin Library, Business Library, Earth Sciences & Map Library, Engineering, Math & Physics Library (currently being renovated and set to open this fall) and Music Library—and each one is furnished with service desks to check out items and answer questions, study spaces and subject-specific collections. Take our study space quiz to find out which one has the study area most suited to you.
2. Collections to dive into
The Libraries have a large collection of books, journals, scholarly articles and so much more available to you for your research assignments. Browse the Library Catalog or drop a query into OneSearch to get your search started. For ever more books: Check out our Interlibrary loan services which allows borrowing from libraries nationally and worldwide. The Libraries also now have Prospector which allows you to request books from the collections of 200 other public and academic libraries.
3. Course textbooks for check out
Don’t want to buy the textbook or leave your course reading at home? Our Course Reserves service may have your textbooks at a library service desk that you can check out for a few hours. See if your instructor put their course texts on reserve.
4. Librarians ready to help
From Rupert Giles of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Flynn Carsen of The Librarian and Evelyn Carnahan of The Mummy, librarians have a reputation for being helpful—and heroic— for good reason. The University Libraries have our own hero librarians specialized in every subject on campus. You can book a one-on-one appointment with a librarian to discuss your next class assignment or research needs, get help with citations and more—you can even chat online with us to get help.
5. Library events all year-round
Look for library events throughout the year. This fall, join Buffs One Read programming by reading this year’s selection, Callings: The purpose and passion of work by StoryCorps founder Dave Isay. You can also attend the Culture Crawl on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, featuring art-marking, performances, giveaways and more hosted by arts and culture groups campus-wide.
6. Tech items to support your studies
We check out device chargers, iClickers, noise-cancelling headphones, calculators, laptop accessories and more to support your studies while at the library. We also recently added new large monitors in Norlin for you to hook up your device to provide extra screen space for those more demanding platforms like Adobe Creative Suite and ArcGIS.
7. Resources for your down-time
We offer plenty of non-academic resources for you as well. Be sure to check out our popular reading collections, streaming media, state parks passes, local and national news access and New York Times Cooking access.
8. Wellness
College life can be stressful and the Libraries provide wellness resources to help you manage it.