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Department of Geography, University of Cambridge

 

Remote access resources

Remote access resources

Many of our services to students and staff are available online with a device, your University Raven password and internet connection, wherever you are.

Polar Studies LibGuide: this subject-specific guide has been updated to include a dedicated page with a curated set of online resources to help with your polar research, teaching and learning.

University Libraries online: this comprehensive webpage lists all the services that the UL and affiliated libraries are delivering to help you continue to keep studying and researching.

LibAnswers: your questions answered by a Cambridge librarian and a useful list of FAQs relevant to the University Libraries' provision during the coronavirus crisis.

Access to online resources

All of our electronic resources, including ebooks, ejournals, and databases, are available from any location worldwide, with the exception of titles received through electronic legal deposit, for current students and staff of the University of Cambridge.

  • We strongly recommend that you log in to iDiscover using your Raven password and then search for the online resources you need, rather than trying to get access to content directly on a publisher website for example, which will not recognise you as a being member of the University. Once you have signed in, you will stay signed in until you close the browser window.
  • Electronic legal deposit books, journals and web content cannot be made available online beyond the physical premises of Cambridge University Libraries under the terms of current legal deposit legislation. The University Library's Scan and Deliver service for current staff and students with Raven accounts has now been expanded to include material available through electronic legal deposit at a cost of £2 per scan.
  • Top tip: install Lean Library. The plugin seamlessly delivers articles and chapters that you have access to through a Cambridge University subscription, without having to constantly negotiate the Shibboleth logins! It will also find open access versions of articles if they're available.
  • You could also try installing one of the recommended Open Access plugins which will search repositories and pre-print servers for you to find open access versions of articles not available through an institutional subscription.

Online databases, journals and articles

  • Over 120,000 ejournal titles and 400 databases are available off-campus for members of the University.
  • Use the 'Articles and online resources' radio button in iDiscover or use the ejournal search at the top of the page to find access by journal title. Databases can also be found through the A-Z database search.
  • More information about finding and accessing online databases, journals and articles can be found on the eresources webpages and blog.
  • A list of additional e-resources made freely available during the outbreak through the generosity of publishers can be accessed through this page. A curated set of online resources for Polar Studies is available in the LibGuide. Only some of these resources are searchable in iDiscover.

Ebooks

  • The University has access to hundreds of thousands of ebooks from a wide variety of publishers and most are available through links in iDiscover; searches can be narrowed to ebooks in the drop-down location menu.
  • More information about finding, accessing, using and citing ebooks can be found in the ebooks LibGuide.
  • Ebook recommendations for teaching, learning and research are welcome. You can either email us or fill out this form, choosing the Polar Studies departmental library option under the STEMM drop-down menu.

Russian electronic resources

  • The University of Cambridge has subscriptions to two databases containing Russian material - East View and Integrum. You can access these via the A-Z Database list or the MMLL LibGuide.
  • Many Russian journals have created open access digital archives, although these are not exhaustive. In addition, the University's slavonic librarians have collated a spreadsheet of Russian digital resources, which you can find on the Polar Studies LibGuide. Contact Arctic Information Specialist Eleanor Peers for further help.

Recommending new online resources

  • If students and academic staff require access to material that is only held by the Library as an electronic legal deposit item or in print, we will try to obtain it electronically with a wider license so that it is accessible off-campus via Raven; this is dependent on whether publishers can offer online access to a resource and will be on a case-by-case basis. Please e-mail library@spri.cam.ac.uk with your recommendations or fill in the Cambridge-hosted Qualtrics recommendation form.

Online training resources​

  • CamGuides is a set of resources for students beginning undergraduate or taught Master's degrees at the University of Cambridge. CamGuides is designed to help students prepare for their studies in Cambridge, regardless of their subject or college. It focuses on some of the academic and information practices and skills that students commonly engage in, or require, for their degrees.
  • Cambridge University Libraries and the Office for Scholarly Communication have created this online course on research skills aimed at PhD students and postdocs in all disciplines. Weekly topics include 'Publishing in journals', 'Publishing academic monographs', 'Copyright and licenses', 'Research Data Management', 'Searching the literature', and 'Building your online profile'. A weekly virtual drop-in offers researchers the opportunity to ask questions in person.