Information for Graduate Students

Your Research

A three-year project to expand and renovate the J. Paul Leonard Library building is underway, so the library building is now closed. Study space and computer access will be available in Library Annex I, a new temporary building near the Lot 20 parking garage. Books and media will be available by online request for pickup within 24 hours at a distribution desk in the HSS building. You can get familiar with the layout of the new locations by viewing them here.

In addition to the 1 million+ books, recordings, videos, dvds and magazines in our collections, the library subscribes to more than 20,000 electronic journals, as well as thousands of print journals and more than 170 research databases.

The following guides will help you get started using the Library:

Research Guides

When getting ready to do research, please take a moment to locate the subject guide for finding information related to your field. There are also guides on Accessing Databases from Off-Campus and Citing References.

Borrowing Items from Other Libraries

If you discover that we do not have the article or book that you are looking for, check out our free service Borrowing Items from Other Libraries (Document Delivery Services).

Course Reserves

Campus instructors may place readings for you at the library. Hard copy reserves like books will be in Reserve Services, HSS 102. Electronic Reserves are available online.

Special Collections and Archives

To find out about unique materials the library holds--which might lead to a great thesis topic--check out our Archive Materials:

Your Thesis

For instructions on how to file your SF State graduate thesis at the Library, as well as how to format the document, please see the thesis Guidelines from the SF State Graduate Studies department. For help finding theses and dissertations, please see the Library's guide on finding Masters Theses &Dissertations.

Contact Us

Feel free to contact a reference librarian at any time using Instant Messaging, email, phone, or in person. They are often your best resource if you need help jump-starting your research, as well as for tips on getting the most out of the Library resources available for your use. You can also suggest new purchases and make suggestions on how to improve the Library.