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Consult with librarians, browse our research guides, explore our vast collection of databases, and find funding and project support through the university’s Research Office. 

Finding Research Materials

UK Libraries is the gateway to a vast information ecosystem spanning archives, articles, datasets, e-books, printed materials, and special collections. 

Talk to Your Librarian by Subject

Our librarians and archivists are information experts. They provide support across all subjects and disciplines and offer assistance in engaging with research resources and services. Our librarians can help you:

  • Develop research topics and hone research questions
  • Select databases, materials, and resources and navigate the research process
  • Conduct literature reviews and perform advanced searches
  • Share your research and communicate your findings

They also provide advice and materials tailored to your project and offer resources and guidance at any stage of the research process. 

To engage our subject and research support services, find your librarian by subject.

Browse Research Collections

Library collections can serve as a launching point for a wider-ranging project or as the anchor for a deeply-focused study.

Among our extensive holdings you can find:

  • Access to millions of articles from thousands of periodicals 
  • Countless books and e-books
  • The world’s largest collection of Kentucky newspapers
  • Older document sets, manuscripts, and archived materials available on microform
  • An exhaustive collection of federal government and Kentucky government publications and resources
  • Datasets across many disciplines, along with access to open data sources and repositories
  • Archival and primary source materials documenting the economic, social, political, and cultural history of the Commonwealth of Kentucky

Search for materials within UK collections using InfoKat Discovery. If we don’t have what you’re looking for, materials from around the world may be available through Interlibrary Loan (ILL), or you may Request a Purchase.

To browse all of UK Libraries’ collections, visit the Find & Borrow section.

Image specialist at UK Libraries digitizes a print map from the SCRC.

Explore archives and primary sources, books and journals, maps and images, data sets, government publications, and more.

Using Databases

Research databases are powerful search tools that provide access to books, e-books, scholarly and peer-reviewed articles, citation and abstract indexes, primary sources, images, statistics, and much more.

Some databases are multi-disciplinary and well-suited for broadly exploring particular subjects, while others are highly specialized and best used for in-depth research. Our librarians can help you find the right database for your needs and assist you with search strategies and troubleshooting. 

Visit our A-Z list of databases or browse journals in our E-Journals index, or jump right in with some of our most-used databases:

  • Academic Search Complete, the world’s most comprehensive scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text database, with access to over 8,500 full-text periodicals and indexing and abstracts for more than 13,200 publications 
  • JSTOR, a digital library of academic journals, books, and primary sources, offering full-text searches of almost 2,000 journals across the humanities and social sciences
  • PubMed, a search engine accessing 33 million references and abstracts across biomedical literature, life science journals, and online books
  • Statista, a statistical data platform covering more than 80,000 topics from over 22,500 sources and 170 industries
  • Web of Science Core Collection, a comprehensive citation index for scholarly and scientific research covering 79 million records across 250 academic disciplines

Explore Our Databases

UK Libraries subscribes to over 700 databases. Use our A-Z list to browse databases by name, subject, or resource type.

Databases A-Z

Finding Materials by Call Number

UK Libraries materials are organized according to the Library of Congress Classification System, which groups items by subject.

Library of Congress call numbers consist of letters and numbers, and are arranged in alphabetical and then numerical order. To find the floor and wing location for the call number you’re looking for, please refer to our Floor Maps.

For more detailed information on reading call numbers, see our How to Find a Book on the Shelf Tutorial. 

Infographic explaining how to find materials by call number.

Finding Project Support

The University of Kentucky's Research Office offers a variety of support services throughout the research process, including:

  • Finding funding sources and collaborators 
  • Assisting with ethics compliance
  • Providing access to multidisciplinary research centers and core research facilities

Grants and other sources of external funding may also be available through entities like the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and others. More information about grants and funding can be found in our Digital Humanities Research Guide.

Research Office

Campus building seen through trees

Linked Department (or Location)
Research Office
Location Detail
311 Main Building
Email
rescomm@uky.edu
Phone
(859) 257-1663