The CDU Library, FAQ & an Introduction

The CDU Health Sciences Library is committed to providing top-tier medical and health information resources and services to meet the educational, research, and clinical needs of Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Health Sciences' students, faculty, and affiliates.

Our goal is easy and quick access to information resources and services through the Library, on campus, and remotely. To support this, we offer instruction, training, Library research guides, copyright and research assistance. Our mission is to promote collaboration, foster lifelong learning, and establish partnerships with health science libraries statewide and nationally to support our academic community.

The CDU Library offers over 43 different licensed (paid) databases mostly in health and medicine, but also several in more general topics. The Library has subscriptions to over 17,000 online journals. 

Most CDU textbooks are available as e-books for use on campus or off.   The Library also has small RESERVE and circulating collections of print textbooks and specialty texts.

The Ebook Central platform (4th platform) is a comprehensive academic library of over 200,000 titles, especially useful for the College of Nursing and the COSH programs.

What Else Does the Library Have?  The Library offers you examination preparation resources (practice texts) and educational videos in many of CDU's specialty areas.

Comprehensive List of Library Databases and E-book Platforms

Journal Master List

LibGuides are research guide management system deployed by the CDU Library to curate and share information about all Library holdings, resources, programmatic support documentation and in-depth/organized guides to specific collections (Urology, . )

• The main public Library page lists all CDU colleges and programs with the appropriate LibGuide to support that program.
• Under the Collections & Resources subheading, you will find links to the Library catalog, the Journal Master List, Library Database List, and over 50 LibGuides.
• Specialty LibGuides are listed below - some are medical-related, while others are of topical interest to the general CDU Community such as Charles R. Drew MD.

Select Speciality LibGuides

• Artificial Intelligence and ChatGPT

• Black Maternal Health Collection

• Reviews: Scoping OR Systematic

• Citation Management Tools: EndNote OR Zotero

The CDU Library offers varied services to our students and faculty to help keep you on track and present your research.

Document and Poster Printing     

•  Document printing is available in the Library.  A scanner and a copier/printer are available for student use near the Main Desk. Print instructions @ Attachments - OneDrive (sharepoint.com).    Wireless printing is not available.  B/W copies are $0.07 per page, while Color copies are $0.10 per page.  

• Poster printing is a high demand service, so don't wait for the last minute. Please email to posters@cdrewu.edu at least 2 business days before you require them as there may be additional time needed to fulfill your request.  Please note that Posters are only printed Monday - Friday, and there are pre-set size limitations you must adhere to. Posters can be picked up at the Library Main Desk.  Check Library Poster LibGuide for more detailed instructions.

EndNote is the CDU-licensed citation management tool of choice available to all CDU-matriculated students by emailing the Library at library2@cdrewu.edu.  Please specify either Android or MAC operating system.  Zotero is an alternate FREE citation management tool.  

Interlibrary loan (ILL) is one of the most heavily used services.  ILL can get articles and book chapters not available in the Library. This service is free. Requests can take from a few hours to a week. Turn-around response is dependent our lending partners. Articles will be e-mailed directly to the requestor as a PDF.  NOT AVAILABLE publications include textbooks, course reserve books, and special reference collection materials.

Loaner Laptops are available at the Library Main Desk for four (4) hour/day loans, no overnight. Student must present a valid CDU ID card with a current Library bar code.   If a laptop is needed for an extended period of time, please contact the Office of Student Life:   osl@cdrewu.edu  

Student ID Cards are a new Library service (Aug. 2024).  Weekday service is Monday-Thursday 10:30am-7pm, Friday 10:30am-3:30pm at the Main Desk   An appointment is required for weekend service Call 323-563-4869 or email  library2@cdrewu.edu if needed.  Documents Required: a valid identification (passport, driver's license, etc,), as well as CDU paperwork to verify your student status.  The process takes about 5 minutes depending on the demand.

Study Room Reservations:  The Library has 12 twelve study rooms, as well as study carrels and cubicles. 

• Study Rooms are available by reservation, email your request to library2@cdrewu.edu noting day/date/time (2-hour max) you would like.  You will receive a confirmation response with the Study Room number. 
• Reservations supersede walk-in study room users. Reservations are forfeited if the group is 15 minutes late.
• Please check-in at the Library Main Desk to alert us as you arrive for your reservation.