Exploring the Library Website

Learning to use the U-M Library homepage is an important first step in your research process. It provides access to the library catalog, article databases, Research Guides and expert research help. Open a new tab and follow along at lib.umich.edu Links to an external site. as we go through the highlights. Here's a snapshot of the homepage: 

---

On the very top of the homepage you can click the carrot button next to EXPLORE to open up a list of quick links. Of particular interest here is Research Guides, which features a wealth of information on all subjects taught at the university, as well as things like tech help, citation help, and career resources.

---

Use Locations and Hours to explore all our library locations, including Shapiro Undergraduate Library, Hatcher Graduate Library, and the Art, Architecture, and Engineering library on North Campus. We even have libraries inside of libraries, like the Clark Map Library (inside Hatcher). 

---

In the middle of the page you'll see our list of Popular Databases. If you don't know where to start with your research, these databases are a good bet.

And finally, Ask a Librarian can be found three different places. The middle of the page with the navy background (see above), the top of the page (see below) ... 

... and also the bottom of the page in a pop-up widget. 

The Ask a Librarian widget can be found on the bottom of every single library webpage, including our Research Guides, so it's pretty easy to find. It is a good way to ask a quick question, like what database is best for computer science, or how to find the librarian for Data Visualization.