Libraries & Collections
Libraries & Collections
Explore and pursue research at the Howard University Libraries (HUL) system — a central library system consisting of the main Founders Library; three additional branches in the schools of Business, Divinity, and Social Work; and the renowned Moorland Spingarn Research Center. Libraries separate from the HUL include the Louis Stokes Health Sciences Library and Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., Law Library. Together, they offer a remarkable collection of over a million holdings and over two hundred online databases.
Founders Library
Overlooking the nation’s capital sits Howard University’s Founders Library. The flagship of the Howard University Libraries (HUL), Founders Library is the main arts and sciences library and the hub of most of HUL's internal and consortium-based services. From its grand reading rooms to its iconic bell tower, Founders Library has been a central meeting place for higher learning and social activism for over 75 years. Today, the library houses over 1 million volumes, the Channing Pollock Theater Collection, and is home to the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center.
Moorland-Spingarn Research Center
What began in the early years of Howard University as a small collection of antislavery books and pamphlets is now one of the world’s premiere centers for the study of the Black experience. The Moorland-Spingarn Research Center collects, preserves, and makes a wide range of resources available for research chronicling the Black experience throughout the African Diaspora. The Manuscript Division houses the Center’s primary source materials, such as oral history recordings, personal and organizational papers, photographs, and music recordings, preserving the legacy of people of African descent for this and future generations.
Louis Stokes Health Sciences Library
Named in honor of the venerable congressman for his thirty-year work combating disparities in health care, the Louis Stokes Health Sciences Library advances health sciences research, scholarship, and patient care, providing research assistance for the University's medical, dental, pharmacy, nursing, and allied health sciences students and faculty as well as Howard University Hospital healthcare providers and researchers. Spread over 80,000 square feet and towering at four levels of one of the most iconic buildings on campus, the library’s meeting rooms are fully equipped for multicast presentations that foster collaboration.
Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., Law Library
The Howard University School of Law Library maintains a collection of legal resources that advance the legal scholarship of the School of Law faculty, students, and staff. Crowning the west wing and surrounded by a roof terrace on the fourth floor of the 76,000-square-foot building is the Special Collections area, which houses the papers of such civil rights giants as Charles Hamilton Houston, Spottswood Robinson, and Phineas Indritz (a prominent Washington lawyer who helped desegregate the D.C. bar). The School of Law Library also houses the Rare Book Reading Room, home to a 2,000-volume reference collection.
Washington, D.C.’s Libraries
Washington, D.C. boasts some of the most stunning libraries in the country. Research scholars come from across the world to visit these libraries for their research. Washington, D.C., is home to the Library of Congress, one of the largest libraries in the world. Its collections feature more than 170 million holdings. The Folger Library in D.C. houses the world’s most extensive Shakespeare collection and offers families various cultural and art events. Also, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library features a Black Studies Center and an 11,000-square-foot Digital Commons, which has a 3-D printer, and study and group spaces.
Seven Places to Study on Campus
Hear from current students about some of the best places to study on Howard's campus. From the dim, natural lighting of the Writing Center and the tall glass windows of the Louis Stokes Health Sciences Library, to the beautiful arched windows at Founder's Library, there are plenty of quiet spaces to choose from.
Professional HU Libraries
School of Business Library
School of Business Library
The School of Business Library's (HUSBL) mission is to support learning, teaching, research, and curriculum development for the School of Business and the wider University community. It also serves as an information hub for resource sharing and networking.
School of Divinity Library
School of Divinity Library
The Divinity Collection supports the teaching and research needs of Divinity students, faculty, and other scholars within the Howard University community and globally. The library houses more than 100,000 volumes. The Library’s subject emphases include biblical studies, reformed theology, church history, ethics, world religions, pastoral counseling, and urban ministries.
School of Social Work Library
School of Social Work Library
The School of Social Work Library's (HUSSWL) primary mission is to provide resources and services to facilitate and assist students, faculty, staff, and administrators of the School of Social Work in research, practice, and service to Howard and the broader community. The Howard University School of Social Work is among a few select accredited social work programs in the U.S. to provide its students with on-site social work library resources.
Collections and Initiatives
African Heritage Collection
African Heritage Collection
The African Heritage Collection was established within the HU School of Divinity Library in the 1960s to document the Civil Rights era, the religious heritage of African Americans, and the life and history of Africans in the Diaspora.
Channing Pollock Theatre Collection
Channing Pollock Theatre Collection
The Channing Pollock Theatre Collection is a non-circulating collection devoted to the performing arts. It contains the playwright's archives along with materials relating to different phases of the theatrical/entertainment world and those addressing the role and place of Black performers in theatre, movies, and television.
The HUL Media Collection
The HUL Media Collection
HUL's Media Services Division offers a variety of services to patrons, including assistance with checking out, renewing, and returning multimedia items and equipment.
Gallery of Religious Art
Gallery of Religious Art
The School of Divinity's Gallery of Religious Art houses the André Tweed collection of Ethiopian sacred artifacts and the Constantine Youssis collection of Greek icons.
Library Services & Support
Washington Research Libraries Consortium (WRLC)
Washington Research Libraries Consortium (WRLC)
Howard University is a member of the Washington Research Libraries Consortium (WRLC) supports and enhances member libraries and information services of universities in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. In addition to the catalog and borrowing privileges at any WRLC-member library, Howard University students, faculty, and staff can use the WRLC’s Consortium Loan Service (CLS) to request books or articles. Delivery is typically within one or two days. E-materials are downloaded to your library account, while print materials can be picked up at Founders.
Consortium Loan Service (CLS)
Consortium Loan Service (CLS)
Faculty, staff, and students at participating Washington Research Library Consortium (WRLC) universities may borrow books from Howard University Libraries by request through the Consortium Loan Service (CLS) or in person. A Howard University (HU) Student/Employee ID or WRLC-issued ID is required to check out materials. If available, most loans are available for pickup within three business days at the Founders Library Circulation Desk.
Interlibrary Loan Requests (ILL)
Interlibrary Loan Requests (ILL)
If an item is unavailable at HU or a partnering WRLC university, you use the Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Service to borrow books, articles, and other materials worldwide. The Access Services department will then initiate a search outside of the local area. Howard University (HU) students, faculty, and staff may use ILL services for free. If available, most loans are available for pickup within three business days at the Founders Library Circulation Desk.
Research Help & Consultation
Research Help & Consultation
Liaison Librarians are subject-area specialists that provide instruction and develop collections that serve the educational and research needs of the University’s academic departments. They offer individual and group instruction in the use of the online catalog and research databases, orientation to information resources, and guidance for research projects within the discipline. Additional research resources have been compiled below:
Research guides and databases
Citation & Documentation
Copyright resources: