The University Libraries at The Catholic University of America support and enrich instructional, research, and service programs. The libraries, as an integral component of the academic process, provide access to our cultural and scientific heritage through resources and services and cooperate actively with the faculty and students in the teaching, learning, and research process.
The main library on campus is the John K. Mullen of Denver Memorial Library. The library system houses more than 1.3 million books and print volumes and provides access to tens of thousands of electronic journals and e-books. The University is also a partner in the Washington Research Library Consortium (WRLC), providing the Catholic University community with access to the library resources of the region’s major universities.
Librarians help students, faculty, and staff with reference questions by phone, in person, and email, and are available for research consultations and library instruction.
The special collections of the University support advanced research and preserve our cultural and intellectual heritage. The American Catholic History Research Center and University Archives curates University records, manuscript collections, and audiovisual materials which document the history of Catholics in America and the history of Catholic University. Rare Books and Special Collections contains materials ranging from medieval manuscripts to modern first editions and supports a wide variety of disciplines. The Semitics/Institute of Christian Oriental Research (ICOR) Library supports research on the languages of the Bible and the ancient Near East. The heart of the Oliveira Lima Library are the manuscripts, pamphlets, books, and artwork left to the University early in the 20th century by Manoel de Oliveira Lima, a Brazilian diplomat and historian.