I am studying abroad and I'd like to access library resources. What do I have access to? 

Access to Library Materials and E-Resources

While we cannot send physical library materials outside the United States, students studying abroad have access to a wide variety of library materials! 

Library E-books & Research Databases

You can search specifically for e-books using OneSearch on the library's homepage. After entering your search terms in the OneSearch search box, use the limiters on the left hand side to narrow your search results to e-books. To do this, select "Available Online" under the "Availability" limiter and "Books" under the "Material Type" limiter, and then select "Apply Filter."

When you find an e-book you want to read, click on "Read Online." Note: You may be prompted to sign in with your MyLMU information to access the book, if you have not signed into your OneSearch account already. 

In addition to OneSearch, you can also use the research databases to find journal articles and other useful information. Start with the LibGuide for your topic, and the Databases tab will suggest some databases that would work for your research. 

Need help finding an e-book or database, or have questions about how to access it? Start with our chat service, where librarians are available 24/7 to help. If you have trouble accessing any online resources, you can send in a Report a Tech Problem form, and add information like where you are located. We suggest trying the ITS Virtual Computer Lab, which will help remove some location-specific issues you might be experiencing. 

Scanning of print books or journals & Interlibrary Loan options

The library can scan sections of print books or journals that we own in our collection, as long as it's within copyright. You can request book chapters or journal articles not available online by creating an account in ILLiad - check out the create an ILLiad account FAQ. 

Through ILLiad, you can also request book chapters, journal articles, and more from other libraries. If the library doesn't have an article you're interested in, we can often request a scan of another library's articles. This process usually takes about 5-10 business days. You can use the same request forms for scans of material we own and material we don't, so fill out a Book Chapter or Article request form to get started! 

If you are living outside the United States, we can't ship our books or interlibrary loan books to you, so please make sure to use the Book Chapter, Article, and similar request forms, rather than the Book request form. Receiving a physical book takes more time than a scan.

Suggest the purchase of an e-book copy

The library has over half a million e-books in its collection, but sometimes you may find we own a book in print but not in e-book form. You can check to see if it's possible to get an e-book by requesting it through the Suggest a Purchase form. If you are living outside the U.S., we suggest listing that in the Comments section so we know a physical book won't help you. Due to publisher rules, especially around textbooks, we are often limited in what we can order as an e-book - we will let you know if that's the case for your requested text. 

Having trouble getting access to streaming media due to international rights restrictions?

LMU's ITS (Information Technology Services) advises that users try the LMU Virtual Lab computers at https://its.lmu.edu/whatwedo/computingsoftware/virtualcomputerlabs/.