Overview
Collecting the “raw material” of scholarship can range from a simple web search to a complex international trip. The University offers a variety of resources to assist your research both on campus and beyond Georgetown. Some University departments and outside agencies also offer grants to defray the costs of research. This section covers:
- Libraries and Services - Georgetown University
- Libraries and Services - DC Area
- Libraries and Archives - United States, Canada, and Europe
- Research Grants
Libraries and Services - Georgetown University
We encourage you to involve the Georgetown University Library at all stages of the research process. The Library’s subject specialists can offer advice about Library resources relevant to your research, and work with you to obtain materials not held on campus.
The Library’s collections include access to 3.8 million print and electronic volumes and more than 800 research databases. Some of the highlights of the Library’s collections are:
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The Booth Family Center for Special Collections, the Library’s home for rare books and manuscripts. The Center has particular strengths in Jesuit history, intelligence and espionage, music manuscripts, English and American literature, Native American linguistics, and many other areas. Special Collections also includes the University Archives, a rich source of Georgetown history.
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The Woodstock Theological Library, one of the oldest and most notable Catholic theological libraries in the United States.
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DigitalGeorgetown, the University’s institutional repository and showcase of Georgetown University’s digitized collections.
The Digital Scholarship Services Unit, offers many ways to incorporate technology into your research, including video production, podcasting, and data visualization. The DSS Unit works closely with CNDLS (Georgetown’s Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship) to assist faculty in making good use of technology in their research and teaching.
If your research project involves intensive work with collections in Lauinger Library, we have a limited number of faculty carrels that may be reserved by Main Campus teaching faculty.
The Library’s Interlibrary Loan specialists can help you locate and borrow materials not held at Georgetown or in the WRLC. Law School users should use the E.B. Williams Law Library's Interlibrary Loan Service, and Medical Center users should use Dahlgren Memorial Library's Interlibrary Loan Service
In addition to the collections listed above, Georgetown’s eleven campus libraries include:
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The Bioethics Research Library, one of the world’s largest and most extensive collections on ethics and biomedical research;
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The Blommer Science Library, serving faculty and students in the biological and physical sciences;
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The Dahlgren Memorial Library, serving researchers in the Georgetown University Medical Center;
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The Georgetown Law Library, supporting students and faculty of the Georgetown University Law Center;
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The School of Continuing Studies Library, providing research and teaching support to faculty and students at Georgetown’s SCS campus in downtown DC;
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The Georgetown University in Qatar Library, serving students and faculty at Georgetown’s campus in Doha, Qatar.
Libraries and Services - DC Area
Georgetown offers connections to several other libraries and archives, both within the District and beyond:
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The Washington Research Library Consortium brings together nine universities in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. Members of the GU community can visit other WRLC libraries and borrow materials by presenting their GOCard. WRLC materials can also be delivered to Lauinger by using the request feature in the WRLC catalog.
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The Chesapeake Information and Research Library Alliance provides reciprocal borrowing between CIRLA members, including Georgetown. Materials from other CIRLA libraries can be borrowed in-person with appropriate documentation, or requested via interlibrary loan.
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The GU-Library of Congress Connection streamlines access to LC collections and services for GU faculty and students.
The DC/Maryland/Virginia area is one of the richest areas for library research in the nation. In addition to the Library of Congress, WRLC member libraries, and CIRLA member libraries, the following institutions might be relevant to your research:
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The Smithsonian Libraries is a network of 20 specialized research libraries, housed in buildings of the Smithsonian and collectively holding over 2 million volumes.
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The Dumbarton Oaks Research Library is a major research center of Byzantine history, Garden and Landscape studies, and Pre-Columbian culture within walking distance of Georgetown University.
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The National Archives has major collections both in downtown DC and in College Park, Maryland.
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The Folger Shakespeare Library is the world’s largest Shakespeare library, located near Capitol Hill.
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The District of Columbia Public Library houses a number of archives and special collections related to the history of Washington, D.C.
Libraries and Archives - United States, Canada, and Europe
If your research involves travel outside of the region, many large university libraries in the United States and Canada offer access and borrowing privileges to GU faculty through the OCLC Reciprocal Faculty Borrowing Program. Ask a Library subject specialist for details.
The Harvard Library has a guide with information to help you locate archival and manuscript collections within the United States and in Europe.
Research Grants
There are several University programs that offer grants, fellowships, and other financial awards to support faculty research, or offer assistance in applying and administering research grants:
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The Library’s Grants Research Guide has several databases for identifying potential funders and links to grant writing resources.
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The Provost’s Office awards around $1 million each year to Main Campus faculty, to support research. Awards range from $300 to $45,000.
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The Office of Research Services provides service to Main Campus faculty in their pursuit and management of sponsored activities.
Many GU faculty have secured research support from external agencies. The following foundations, government agencies, and programs have awarded research grants to one or more GU researchers:
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Kluge Fellowships at the Library of Congress, for research involving LC collections
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Woodrow Wilson Center Fellowships, for projects relevant to the work of the Center
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Huntington Fellowships, for research at the Huntington Library in California
Research / Writing / Submitting Your Manuscript
Copyright / Publication Process / Promoting Your Work