Q. How do I begin my library research?

You can begin your search for most of the library's resources, starting from the library's homepage: https://lib.vt.edu/.

The Virginia Tech Libraries provide many sources for finding information about many subjects. The best approach to take when researching a topic in the library would be to consult a librarian or staff member at the Library Services Desk on the second floor of Newman Library.

There is an online chat service called Ask a Librarian. Your question can be instantly answered by an operator during the staffed hours or answered via email as soon as the service is next staffed.

Subject specialists are available for consultation, especially if you have an in-depth question which cannot be answered by staff at the Services Desks or by the Ask a Librarian service. A link to subjects and the librarians with the expertise in that area may be found on the Research Guides. Telephone numbers and email addresses appear there. A number of them also have links to set up an appointment.  Selecting the specific subject link from the list will take you to the specialist's recommended sources for that field of study.

The Library has access to a large number of databases which allow you to look for citations of periodical articles or book chapters (and sometimes provides the full-text of the articles online) by keyword or subject. The database page lists databases by title and also provides a listing of databases by subject. Because of our contractual agreements with the providers of these databases, their use is restricted to Virginia Tech affiliates. Visitors to our campus may use computers in the library to access these databases.  Public computer workstations are available.