Feel free to reach out to our friendly faculty and staff in the Libraries at any time to help you get acquainted with our many services, events, workshops, and technologies available to you.
Fall Semester Library Hours
The Libraries’ fall semester hours will begin on Monday, August 25:
- Hunt Library: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 a.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 a.m.; Sunday, noon to 3 a.m.
- Sorrells Library: Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to midnight.; Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, closed; Sunday, noon to 8 p.m.
- Mellon Institute Library: The Mellon Institute Library will be accessible to Mellon affiliates during Mellon Institute hours of operation.
This fall, the Maggie Murph Café will be closed for renovations, reopening in January 2026. In the meantime, you can temporarily find De Fer Coffee & Tea in Resnik House. Founded in 2016 by CMU alumnus Matt Marietti (TPR, 2010) and his wife Vanessa, De Fer Coffee & Tea roasts all of their coffee in-house daily, with a focus on unique, sustainably sourced specialty coffees, blended loose teas and tasty house-made food, including scones, muffins, cookies, and paninis.
Seating
Most seating within the libraries is available on a first-come, first-served basis. This includes seating in Sorrells, a quiet study area on the third floor of Hunt Library, and a new collaborative study space on the fourth floor of Hunt Library.
Available study space can be reserved through our library reservation system.
Borrowing and Returning Materials
The Libraries Catalog contains records for the majority of our physical and digital collections. Resource types include: books, peer-reviewed articles, eBooks, journals, music scores, audio CDs and LPs, conference proceedings, reports, government documents, DVDs and Blu-Rays, dissertations, theses, newspaper articles, book reviews, and streaming media. Most items in the catalog can be requested online and held for pick up at the library circulation desks.
You might notice that some of our collections throughout the Libraries have moved. We are in the ongoing process of shifting our collections to allow for continued growth as we acquire new books. For the most up-to-date information regarding resource locations, please see the catalog or ask at the circulation desks.
If you need access to materials that CMU does not own, you may be able to request materials from other institutions using the ILLiad or E-Z Borrow Services. Additionally, CMU affiliates can borrow directly from the University of Pittsburgh’s library system. All CMU students, faculty, and staff can sign up for a card at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.
CMU Libraries provides access to several popular news/newspaper sites that you can access through their native platforms, including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Find more information about subscriptions and how to access on the digital news libguide.
Course Reserves
Course Reserves are added at the request of course instructors and searchable by course name, course number, or professor. Physical Course Reserves are housed at circulation desks for use inside the library during library hours, and Virtual Reserves are accessible online 24/7. All course reserves can be used for up to two hours.
Visit the Course Reserves page for more information.
Connecting with a Specialist
There are many ways to connect with librarians and information specialists for quick questions or consultations, including phone, e-mail, chat, or Zoom web conference. Contact your departmental librarian directly to make an appointment, or use our real-time chat service for assistance.
Technology & Multimedia Lending
Explore our growing technology collection of devices that are available for you to borrow, including iPads, calculators, charging cables, headphones, portable DVD drives, music foot pedals and more. Items are available at the Hunt and Sorrells’ circulation desks.
Multimedia Lending can be found at the IDeATe Lending Office located in Hunt Library, Room A29. From here, the CMU community can borrow various types of equipment such as audio/video, photographic, and sound recording devices, digital cameras, video recorders, microphones, and projectors.
Fall 2025 Workshops
Our workshops are designed to help attendees learn a new skill, deepen their understanding of a specific topic, or gain exposure to an unfamiliar technology, tool, or technique. Workshops will be delivered virtually and in-person. Seating is limited and registration is required. Explore this semester’s offerings.
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