Using the Libraries

Research With Community

Members of the wider Pittsburgh community can be an integral part of the research process for numerous disciplines, offering specific expertise and valuable perspectives that shape studies and expand impacts. But these relationships can also bring challenges, from establishing and continuing meaningful relationships to managing funding. Are there ways that CMU can better support partnerships between researchers and the community, empowering critical dialogue and information sharing?

How Librarians are Introducing Students to Open Science Principles

Open science, which refers to the practice of sharing research, data, and findings freely with the public, is becoming increasingly common as recognition of its benefits grows. It aims to make science more transparent, easier to reproduce, and open to more people, including students, researchers, and even curious citizens.

GIS Day 2025: Come One, Come All!

Join the CMU Libraries Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Services team on Wednesday, November 12 for “GIS Day 2025: Come One, Come All!” For the fourth year in a row, the Libraries will celebrate the positive impact of GIS applications, welcoming members of CMU and the wider Pittsburgh community to a day-long symposium dedicated to exploring resources, sharing research, and networking.

“Hands On: Halloween Harvest” Photo Gallery

On October 29, the Libraries celebrated spooky season and the start of sweater weather with a fall installment of the new “Hands-On” series. More than 50 attendees joined for a crafternoon of autumnal activities, including pumpkin painting, ghostly garland making, and creating seasonal suncatchers. They also had the opportunity to indulge in some culinary classics like apple cider, Halloween candy, and a build-your-own dirt cup bar.

Architect Behind CMU’s Iconic Campus Gets a New Chapter

Henry Hornbostel was an influential architect in the early twentieth century, who designed landmarks like the Williamsburg Bridge in New York City and the Harding Memorial, US President Warren Harding’s elaborate tomb. “Time Well Spent: An American Architect in Europe, 1893,” a new October 2025 release from Carnegie Mellon University Press, brings to life Hornbostel’s formative 1893 journey to Europe as a young man. This journey influenced him for the rest of his life, as he designed famous buildings across the country – and in Pittsburgh, where he built nearly half his works and designed Carnegie Mellon’s campus. “Time Well Spent” includes reproductions and transcriptions of Hornbostel’s sketchbook and journals, and contextualizes them with essays about the significance of travel in architectural education.

How the OSPO Helped the School of Computer Science’s Diagramming Platform Grow

Introduced in 2020 by researchers from the School of Computer Science, Penrose enables people to create beautiful diagrams just by typing notation in plain text, making it easy for nonexperts to create high-quality visuals that provide deeper insight into challenging technical concepts. The platform is made with open-source software, which means the code is freely available for modification and redistribution.

How the Libraries Gives Damaged Books a Second Life

Over time, some library books become too damaged or outdated to remain on the shelves. One option for these discarded books is to recycle them — but for Arts and Humanities Librarian Jill Chisnell at CMU Libraries, they present an untapped opportunity for hands-on creativity and innovation.

How Data and Code Support Service Aided Neuroscience Research

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 & Code Support team offers personalized, discipline-specific guidance to empower your research and accelerate discovery.

How the Archives Supported a Local High School’s History Preservation

Woodland Hills High School Library Media Specialist Kevin McGuire teaches a library science internship class, working with students in grades 9 through 12 to introduce them to a variety of library-related skills: cataloguing, processing books, and even archiving materials. Each spring, his students visit the Carnegie Mellon University Archives to dive into the materials and explore what archivists do during a day at work.

Lights, Camera, Library!

This summer, the University Libraries took an all-hands-on-deck approach to showcase things the CMU community can do in and around the library. At the annual Libraries gathering on July 31, faculty and staff joined together to record 125 short-form videos highlighting physical and virtual spaces, resources, services, and activities.

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