Solutions Stories

How Data and Code Support Service Makes Data Management More Accessible

At the University Libraries, the Data and Code Support service offers specialized, one-on-one assistance for students, faculty and staff using open source coding languages and data science tools in their research or projects. Whether you're wrangling a massive dataset or learning to code for the first time, CMU Libraries’ Data and Code Support team offers personalized, discipline-specific guidance to empower your research and accelerate discovery.

How CMU Librarians Supported Pulitzer Prize-Winning Research

Carnegie Mellon University historian, author, and librettist Edda Fields-Black, professor and director of the Dietrich College Humanities Center, began working on a book about famous Underground Railroad conductor Harriet Tubman’s involvement in the Combahee River Raid — the largest rebellion of enslaved people in U.S. history — in 2016.

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How a Collection in the Architecture Archives Inspired Graduate Research

Each semester, Arts and Humanities Librarian Lynn Kawaratani visits classes in the School of Architecture to introduce students to the resources available to them through the University Libraries. One resource she shares is the Architecture Archives, which collects, conserves, and promotes the use of architectural records that document the architects and architecture of Carnegie Mellon University, the city of Pittsburgh, and its region.

How a Student Worked with the Architecture Archives to Save Rare CMU Blueprints

Before winter break, Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences first-year Ryan Tosh found a large trash bag filled with architectural drawings depicting buildings on CMU’s campus in the KGB’s office during a cleaning session.

How Data Visualization Mapped CMU Graduate Research

Research Data Services Librarian Alfredo González-Espinoza wants to make it easier for CMU researchers to find related projects and opportunities for collaboration across disciplines.

How Careful Cataloging Helped Rediscover A Vintage Image

In July 2024, Arts and Humanities Librarian Jill Chisnell received an email from a former colleague from the School of Design, who hadn’t set foot in Hunt Library since 2010. So Chisnell put on her detective hat and dove into the search. She knew she’d have to be creative to find answers.

How RIMS Helped a Fulbright Scholar Secure Grant

At the University Libraries, Research and Information Management Services (RIMS) brings together information about scholarship, creative practices, and funded research endeavors, as well as teaching, service, awards, and leadership accomplishments, throughout Carnegie Mellon. The RIMS team, led by Program Director Jason Glenn, is leading the effort to compile faculty information, simplify assessment and documentation, and streamline collaboration across different departments and disciplines.

How Crowdsourcing Located a Rare Music Pamphlet

In February, Music Librarian Kristin Heath put out a call for a music pamphlet she was working to locate for a researcher.

How the Digitization Team Helped Disseminate Polish History

While the lab most often works with materials held by the University Archives and Special Collections, it has also played a role in digitizing key documents for local communities — for example, Pittsburgh’s Jewish newspapers. Most recently, the lab has completed a project focused on Polish history.

How the Evidence Synthesis Service Team Helped Analyze Student Research Experiences

The University Libraries’ Evidence Synthesis Service team has offered their expertise to a number of complex, long-term projects taking place across campus. Director of the Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholar Development Richelle Bernazzoli first engaged with the team during an evidence synthesis introductory workshop in 2021. Shortly after, she reached out with an idea for an initial project exploring undergraduate researchers participating in mentored research, and how that experience serves to develop their research identities.

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