The Carnegie Mellon University Libraries hold some 851,799 volumes and 756,985 microforms and subscribe to 4,200 journals. Graduate students have access to the collections of the Carnegie Library , the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania and the Libraries of the University of Pittsburgh . In addition to the regular interlibrary loan service, the University Libraries belong to the Center for Research Libraries, with its outstanding collections. Carnegie Mellon's rich computer environment is easily accessible to students for word processing and data analysis.
Advanced systems are available when research activities require more sophisticated facilities.
Students wishing to purchase a personal computer can take advantage of discounts offered at the university's computer store. Pittsburgh is an exciting place to do research in History and Policy and Social and Cultural History due to the rich archival collections of the history of the city and the region. Students often do research papers and dissertations using the Pittsburgh setting to answer questions of general historical interest.