Celebrating National Online Learning Day: How the CMU Libraries support online students
September 15th is National Online Learning Day, a time to celebrate the flexibility, innovation, and accessibility of online education. Online learning at CMU is as popular as ever. As recently as the end of the 2025 spring semester, 8,364 CMU students were enrolled in at least one online course, the highest number in a decade, according to CMU’s Academic Planning and Analysis. The CMU Libraries is dedicated to ensuring high-quality services, resources, and support for the university’s online learners, whether they are enrolled fully online or taking online classes from the main campus.
24/7 Access to Online Resources
Our collection offers round-the-clock access to thousands of eBooks, peer-reviewed journals, databases, historical documents, and streaming media. Regardless of location or time zone, our electronic resources are just a few clicks away through the library website.
Virtual Research Help
Need help navigating a database, finding credible sources, or citing a study? CMU librarians are available to assist online students via chat, email, and research consultations through our Ask a Librarian service. In fact, the CMU Libraries is part of a nationwide consortium that allows students to connect with an academic librarian outside of regular library hours. Librarians are just a message away!
Research Guides and Tutorials
Research guides created by subject librarians direct students to relevant online resources for conducting research, while video tutorials and interactive learning modules can help students master essential research skills, such as forming a research question, conducting a literature review, and citing in APA or MLA.
Document Delivery Service
While much of the Libraries’ collection is accessible online, not every article or book is, unfortunately. Online learners can request copies of articles, book chapters, and other materials through Documents on Demand, and they will deliver them straight to a student’s inbox. Documents on Demand fulfills over 90% of article requests within 24-48 hours!
Course Reserves
Instructors can place required readings and multimedia on electronic course reserves, giving students instant access to essential course content.
The CMU Libraries is committed to supporting online learners by providing accessible, flexible, and personalized services and resources. This National Online Learning Day, take a moment to explore all the Libraries has to offer. No matter where students are located, the CMU Libraries is here to help them succeed.