CRL: Center for Research Libraries : Get Started

About the Center for Research Libraries

Northeastern University is a member of the Center for Research Libraries.

The Center for Research Libraries (CRL), based in Chicago, IL, is a consortium of independent, college, and university research libraries. It's purpose is to acquire, preserve, and make available to member institutions a large number of research collections, some available in print and some in digital format, to support both curricular and research activities.

Many of the collections emphasize primary sources in historical depth. Their materials are international in scope, and cover a wide variety of subjects, including engineering, history, music, and political science.

Please see CRL collections for more information.

Search the CRL catalog (see below) to identify collections and individual items.

If the item is electronic, you should be able to link directly to the resource. For materials in print or microfilm, please request the item through interlibrary loan (see below).

CRL Library Catalog and Interlibrary Loan Form

Center for Research Libraries This link opens in a new window
A searchable catalog to identify what's in the collections
The collections are so varied as to include an unpublished manuscript music collection from Oxford, the vast engineering library of Linda Hall, and rare monograph and pamphlet area collections from various regions of the world. These collections are made available in print, in microfilm, and, in many cases, online. Faculty, students, and staff are eligible to borrow resources through an extended delivery system or, when available, through electronic delivery or online. See our Subject Guide to the Center for Research Libraries

Use the ILLiad interlibrary loan link below to make a request.

Physical items requested from CRL arrive for you within a week. If the items can be converted by CRL to electronic format, you should receive the electronic copy within two to four days.
You may request microforms on interlibrary loan! They can be read on machines at Snell Library.
Loan periods for CRL items are generous and can be extended.
Please indicate on the request form that the item you are requesting is from CRL.
Adding an OCLC number from the CRL catalog will expedite the borrowing process.

ILLiad
Use ILLiad to request articles and other items not available at NU. Free, first-time user registration required.

Featured resources from the CRL collections

International and historical dissertations

CRL has more than 800,000 doctoral dissertations and Habilitationsschriften from universities outside of the U.S. and Canada. The collection was built by deposits from member libraries and exchange or depository arrangements with almost 100 universities. Search for dissertations through the CRL catalog's advanced search, utilizing the "dissertation" tab.

Engineering journals

CRL libraries have access to the combined CRL and Linda Hall science, technology, and engineering (STE) print serials. These current and back issues of over 50,000 science and engineering journal titles acquired and maintained by CRL and Linda Hall will be made available electronically through on-demand digitization and traditional document delivery through the RapidILL service. Search for particular documents through the CRL catalog.

Ethnic and regional newspapers

CRL has vast holdings of newspapers from all regions of the world; and collections of scripts, transcripts, and translations of news reports, produced or compiled by the British Broadcasting Corporation, CBS, the Foreign Broadcast Information Service, and the Voice of America. Newspaper holdings include over 12,000 titles, more than 10,000 of which are published outside the U.S. Search for ethnic, US newspapers through the CRL catalog advanced search, restricting to newspapers.

Boston and Online

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