Ask A Librarian
Library help is available to all members of the Northeastern University community, including alumni and library users at Northeastern’s global campuses.
We are happy to answer questions from members of the public. Please note that access to some of our facilities, collections, and services may be limited to Northeastern affiliates only.
How to connect with us:
Contact your subject librarian or a library specialist for in-depth research support.
Boston:
Drop in at the Snell Library Research Help Desk (level 1):
- Monday, Tuesday, Friday: 11am-3pm
- Wednesday and Thursday: 11am-6pm
The Research Help Desk is closed on weekends and holidays, but you can use the 24/7 chat service at any time!
Email the library. Please allow at least one business day for a response.
Telephone us: (617) 373-2356 or toll free (855) 618-7512.
Oakland:
Drop in at the F. W. Olin Library Reference Desk (level 1):
- Monday – Thursday: 11am-7pm
- Friday: 11am-6pm
Email the library at [email protected]
Please allow at least one business day for a response.
Telephone us: (510) 430-2385
We Can Help You With:
- Finding appropriate resources for your projects and assignments, including articles, data and statistics, media, archival and primary sources, and more.
- Choosing and using library databases effectively.
- Brainstorming research strategies.
- Understanding citation systems and setting up a citation manager.
- Accessing Northeastern’s online and print collections.
- Requesting items through Interlibrary Loan.
- Referring you to the right specialist, in the library or beyond.
More Help Options:
- Report a problem: broken library links, error messages, and online access problems.
- Request a library session or workshop for your class or other group.
- Suggest a purchase for our collection.
Subject Librarians & Library Specialists
- Find your subject librarian, who specializes in research in your major or academic program.
- Our archivists can connect you to primary sources on the history of Northeastern and its surrounding communities.
- Our data analytics and visualization specialist assists with data structuring and presentation.
- Our data management librarian supports data-intensive teaching, research, and scholarship activities, including data management plans.
- Our GIS (Geographic Information Systems) specialist supports geographic and mapping projects.
- A media specialist can help you plan and create audio and video projects.