Boston College Library staff provide research support to students, faculty, and staff in one on one or group meetings, virtually, via online chat, or at research help desks. Our goal is to provide research assistance at point of need outside of instruction sessions as necessary. These services are informed by our Reference Services mission statement.
Rooted in Jesuit values, the Boston College Libraries’ Reference Service fosters student formation by encouraging critical inquiry, reflection, and the pursuit of knowledge in service to others. We support equitable access to research resources, both virtually and in person, empowering all users to engage deeply and effectively with information.
Each library has a research help desk, labelled as Reference or Research Help. These desks are staffed throughout the week for students to drop by with any research or other library question. Librarians will provide support and make referrals to experts as necessary.
Library hours indicate when desks are open.
Librarians are available for one on one meetings. Find out more information about scheduling an appointment with a librarian at Ask a Librarian.
Students often have questions about why they would want to meet with a librarian. Students bring their question, idea, or problem to us about their research and we discuss it together. Our goals is for the student to leave the meeting with resources, next steps, and knowing they can come back with further questions. Some reasons they might come to a librarian:
Ask a question 24/7 and a librarian from BC or another institution will help. This is the best way to get immediate answers, but will likely not be the best option for in depth research questions.
Librarians are available via email for any questions as well. You can directly email your subject librarian or email our Ask a Librarian email, which we will answer in about a day.
