Interested in conducting research while studying for your BA, MA, or PhD degree at LUC’s Department of English? It’s fortunate that you live in the Chicagoland area! For literary, historical, and academic works, consult the catalogue or chat with the librarians at Cudahy Library at this link: http://libraries.luc.edu/. Note that if you are unable to find a particular scholarly article, you can request it through the Interlibrary loan feature and the pdf will usually be emailed to you through your account. Likewise, if the book you want is not held by our institution at the LSC or WTC campuses, you can special order it for no cost through Interlibrary loan after searching for the book through WorldCat. Links to these services can be found on the library website, as well as the email addresses of librarians such as Head of Reference Services Niamh McGuigan, listed by specialization.
As accessed through the library’s home page, Cudahy also has multiple databases devoted to various subjects and time periods that are extremely useful for students in the Department of English. Some examples include African-American Periodicals 1825-1995, Archive of Celtic-Latin Literature, Early American Newspapers, Series 1, 1690-1876, Early English Books Online (EEBO), Editions and Adaptations of Shakespeare, the MLA International Bibliography and Literary Research Guide, and Nineteenth Century Collections Online (NCCO). There’s also many other interesting databases, such as Ebook Central to save you that late-night trip to the library, Naxos Music Library to provide you with millions of hours of free music to listen to as you write, and Ancestry Library to help you find dirt either on your ancestors or the authors you are “supposed” to be researching!
On the second floor of Cudahy Library is located LUC’s University Archives and Special Collections department, which boasts thousands of works of history, literature, science, Jesuitica, and first or early editions of world-famous works: https://www.luc.edu/archives/index.shtml. After searching the online catalogue for lists of holdings, students should email University Archivist and Curator of Rare Books Kathy Young to set up an appointment to view their desired materials. She and Assistant University Archivist Ashley Howdeshell will be able to assist students in their research quests and can help locate other works at the Special Collections of other libraries in the US and around the world.
No matter what your subject of interest is, there is likely a nearby library or archive you can access online or visit to consult. First and foremost, LUC students can get a library card at Chicago’s prestigious (and newly remodeled) Newberry Library, which contains millions of primary sources from the medieval period onwards. Boasting a large Native American and Early American collection, the library also contains illuminated manuscripts, Early Modern drama folios, novels of the 16th-19th centuries, and Modernist works. After establishing an account, students can reserve books prior to their in-person visit through the online catalogue, which is searchable to the general public: https://www.newberry.org/. Besides hosting graduate conferences, the Newberry holds frequent workshops and an annual Book Sale.
Students often have reciprocal borrowing privileges with Chicago university libraries such as Northwestern University, the University of Illinois at Chicago, the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne (located three hours south), Purdue Libraries, Marquette University, and more. Other Chicago archives are located at other nearby research institutions as well as the Newberry. For example, the libraries of NU and UIC, as well as the DeSable Museum of African-American History, all hold many documents and primary source materials relating to the origins of the transatlantic slave trade and African-American history in the United States, particularly in Chicago. Another archive devoted to Chicago legal history resides at UIC, and even more civic and political material is held at the Chicago Public Library’s Harold Washington Library Center, prominently and unmistakably located at 400 S. State St. After bringing proof of residency and an ID, students can check out materials from the Harold Washington using their CPL card and request to view Special Collections documents that can be found, along with general catalogue holdings, on the website: https://www.chipublib.org/locations/34/.
Make the most of your experience at LUC and in Chicago by utilizing our own Cudahy Library’s resources and planning a trip to a local library or research institution so that your own discoveries take into account the best possible evidence for your project. Happy research and writing!