This paper reports the findings of a qualitative research study designed to investigate the opportunities and obstacles presented by a digital library for supporting teaching and learning in an inquiry-based undergraduate geology course. Data for this study included classroom observations and field-notes of classroom practices, questionnaires, and audiotapes and transcripts of interviews conducted with student and instructor participants. The findings suggest that although both the instructor and students recognized a number of opportunities presented by the digital library to support teaching and learning (e.g., provides access to various types of data), they encountered a number of obstacles (e.g., difficulty with the search mechanism) that discouraged them from taking advantage of the resources available. Recommendations are presented for (a) developers of digital libraries, and (b) instructors wishing to integrate use of a digital library for supporting their teaching and student learning in an inquiry-based course.