Grinnell College Libraries News
Student walking into Burling Library

Author: Sharon Clayton

Master Your Coursework and Projects with Library Resources

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On February 23, 2026

In Resources

Books w/question markThe Grinnell College Libraries are here to help you utilize your resources for your research! Whether you are in the brainstorming stage, the investigative stage, or if you are on your way to producing a finished paper, we are happy to help. Below are several tips for how to engage with our resources effectively.

First stop: Visit the library’s homepage. There you can use the search box to search the catalog for books, journal articles, newspaper articles, CDs, DVDs, and anything else in the Grinnell College Libraries collections. Or check out the list of databases to find other ways to search.

Borrow books and more: Borrow materials on Interlibrary Loan (ILL) or use TRAC (Two Rivers Alma Collaborative) by using Primo, searching for an item, checking for availability through our library catalog, and requesting delivery to Burling Library. Books usually arrive in 2 to 3 days.

Beyond Google Scholar: Conduct research in Special Collections and Archives and explore our Digital Grinnell repository. Improve your search experience for scholarly journal articles and links to ebooks with LibKey Nomad.

We are here for YOU: Our mission is to help you with whatever it is you are working on! Go to our Subject and Course Guides and you can find the consulting librarians associated with a given subject. Or, for more in-depth research help, schedule a Library Lab which is an online or in-person one-on-one or small group research consultation with a librarian.

In short: Take advantage of the wide array of resources available to you at the Libraries and don’t hesitate to contact us or feel free to reach out to a librarian directly.

Civil Rights in America: From Reconstruction to the Great Society

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On February 20, 2026

In Databases

Civil right protestCivil Rights in America: From Reconstruction to the Great Society is a fully searchable archive of Congressional documents related to all aspects of civil rights in the United States, from segregation to women’s suffrage to discrimination of all kinds. The digitized materials include publications and reports from the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, the executive branch, special investigations, and non-governmental organizations.

Try the Suggested Searches drop down option underneath the search box by narrowing to a topic quickly or go to more in depth instructions to search by keywords and terms.

Questions?

Contact query@grinnell.edu or your liaison librarian for additional help on using this resource.

Or schedule a Library Lab which is a research consultation and an opportunity for a student or a small group of students to meet with a librarian and discuss an academic research project.

To find more library databases for your research, check out the Grinnell College Libraries’ Databases A-Z list.

Need a Place to Study?

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On February 18, 2026

In Spaces

Burling Library Commons

Burling Commons (First Floor East)

Burling and Kistle libraries have several places to study quietly, including individual study carrels and tables in both libraries. Burling also features armchairs, bike desks, bean bag chairs, laptop bars, sofas, and even jungle gyms. If you need to work with classmates or peer mentors, group study rooms are available in both Burling and Kistle.

Burling Digital Studio

Burling Digital Studio (lower level)

The Burling Digital Studio (lower level) features 7 MAC workstations with video editing capabilities, a scanner station attached to a photo scanner, as well as cameras, recorders, and additional technology for checkout at the circulation desk. Use is first-come, first-served.

Four private group study rooms (second level, east side) are available for group study. Each glass enclosure accommodates four or five people around a table, has floor-to-ceiling whiteboards, and three of the four rooms have flat-screen monitors equipped with Airtame screen-sharing software. Use is currently first-come, first-served.

Burling Lounge, first floor

Burling Lounge (first floor)

Burling Lounge (first level, west side inside north entrance) is a study space and event space. It is available for individual or group study when events are not scheduled. Use is first-come, first-served.

The Burling Commons (first floor east side) The Libraries have reconfigured the first floor Computer Commons with new booths, soft seating options and upgraded technology. Study use is first-come, first-served or if computers are not being used for a class.

Burling Library 2nd Floor Classroom

Burling second floor classroom/study space (second floor)

The Burling Second Floor Classroom/study space includes 12 mobile tables seating 2 people each and several mobile whiteboards. Study use is first-come, first-served for evenings and weekends or if the classroom is not in use.

Kistle Science Library has four group study rooms, to be used on a first-come, first-served basis. One has a projector that can be connected to the existing computer or a personal laptop, for use in practicing PowerPoint or other presentations.

Want to secure your laptop, listen to music, and have a fast hard-wired internet connection while you’re studying? Headphones can be checked out from the circulation desk.

Grinnell College Libraries Expanded Research Services

By

On February 18, 2026

In Resources

Book w/color coming out of itThe Grinnell College Libraries subscribes to a set of services through a vendor called Third Iron to improve your search experience for scholarly journal articles. See our library guide for instructions on downloading and using the new services.

Libkey Nomad is a browser extension to get fast access to scholarly academic articles and is available in 6 different browsers.

  • Download PDF will take you directly to a PDF of the article.
  • Article Link will take you to a webpage of the Article.
  • In addition, Nomad will let you know when an article has been retracted and if you click it will list the reasons why.

BrowZine is a service that allows you to browse, read and follow scholarly journals in a beautiful visual display. With BrowZine, you can:

  • Browse and read journals: Browse thousands of top journals by subject, easily review tables of contents, and download full articles.
  • Stay Current with My Bookshelf: Create a personal bookshelf of titles to follow and receive new article notifications. To use, create an account through Browzine.
  • Access on any device: Easily access BrowZine from your iOS and Android device and on the web to stay up to date wherever you are.
  • Save and export articles: Use the BrowZine app to save articles for off-line reading or export to services such as DropBox, Mendeley, RefWorks, EndNote, Zotero, Papers and more.

Libkey IO improves the linking experience to Grinnell’s online academic journals. Now you can directly download the PDF from the results page or view the article in the journal issue and see surrounding articles and research.

Library catalog example using LibKey IO

Questions? Go to our helpful libguide or contact a librarian.

Indigenous Histories and Cultures in North America

By

On February 18, 2026

In Databases

Indigenous peopleCovering a wide-ranging digital resource, Indigenous Histories and Cultures in North America presents a unique insight into interactions between the indigenous peoples of North America and Europeans from their earliest contact up to the civil rights movement of the mid-20th century.

It contains material from the Newberry Library’s Edward E. Ayer Collection, including books, manuscripts, artwork, photographs, and newspapers.

Highlights include rare documents such as treaties, speeches, diaries and travel journals, and historical maps.

Searching guides and research tools are provided with a wealth of information to choose from.

Questions?

Contact query@grinnell.edu or your liaison librarian for additional help on using this resource.

Or schedule a Library Lab which is a research consultation and an opportunity for a student or a small group of students to meet with a librarian and discuss an academic research project.

To find more library databases for your research, check out the Grinnell College Libraries’ Databases A-Z list.

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