Getting Started with Research
OBIS is the catalog that lists all of the books, films, scores, recordings, etc. in the Oberlin College libraries.
Summon is a tool for simultaneously searching across a wide range of subject areas and types of resources.
Databases allow you to dig deeply into subjects (anthropology, history, literature) or types of material (articles, videos, primary sources).
OhioLINK Catalog is the catalog of the 90+ college and university libraries in the state of Ohio. Your library barcode allows you to request items from other libraries.
Finding Books
You can access many books, ebooks, journal articles, and other sources at Oberlin. The resources below will help you to find everything we have at Oberlin and can access via other libraries in Ohio and worldwide.
Search at Oberlin
- OBIS: Catalog of the Oberlin College Library This link opens in a new windowSearch for books, journals, databases, etc. at Oberlin College.
- Summon This link opens in a new windowSearches more than 300 million items - books, scholarly articles, newspaper articles, data, digital audio, digital video, digital images, government documents and more. It draws from the library catalog (OBIS), many of the full text and article indexing databases, as well as digital repositories from colleges, universities, research centers, and other open-access archives on the web.
Tip: Looking for book chapters? Search with Summon.
Search Beyond Oberlin
- OhioLINK Library Catalog This link opens in a new windowOhioLINK Library Catalog is a combined catalog of over 7.8 million books and other library materials from many of Ohio's universities, colleges, community colleges and the State Library of Ohio. OhioLINK's design allows you to transfer a search from your local library catalog to the OhioLINK combined catalog with the touch of a button. The OhioLINK catalog provides immediate access to the library holdings of the whole system, including current availability status. Requested books and other materials are delivered to your library within a few days. Catalog entries for electronic books and journals link directly to those resources.
Tip: To request an item in OhioLINK, click "Request" and select Oberlin as your school. See our step-by-step guide for help.
- WorldCat: FirstSearch This link opens in a new windowPrecise, full-featured search interface for WorldCat content.
Tip: If you want to request something you only see in WorldCat, see our interlibrary loan guide for next steps.
Get Research Help
Need Citation Help?
See the library's citation guide for help with APA, MLA, and other common styles.
Interested in software to help with citations? See our guide on RefWorks.