Access to Books
I encourage St. Mary's distance learning students to use the library's book collection.
Discover is the best search to determine if the Blume Library owns the book you need. Discover includes print books and eBooks. eBooks offer a fast alternative for distance students who need immediate access to book resources. You may want to limit your Discover search to eBooks or search one of the eBook collections listed below.
Use the Library Catalog to 1) search for print items in the Blume Library and 2) use the My Library Account to see what you have checked out.
The WorldCat database allows you to search for library holdings at library worldwide. You can use WorldCat to find books in libraries in your area.
Discover: Find articles, books, and more...
Library Catalog
Find books, ebooks, movies, music, government information, and more in the Library Catalog.
Don't forget to ask a librarian for help if you have questions.
eBook Collections
Here is a list of our primary eBook collections.
- Ebook Central This link opens in a new windowProQuest Ebook Central contains over 200,000 ebooks from various publishers across a wide range of academic disciplines. The collection includes books from major university presses and other scholarly publishers. Search for books by entering a keyword, ISBN, Author, or other terms into the basic search box.
Note: You need to create a free user account to use this database off-campus. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to a librarian - EBSCO eBooks This link opens in a new windowThis multidisciplinary collection includes more than 231,000 e-books covering a large selection of academic subjects and features e-books from leading publishers and university presses. Create a free account using your student information and download or read eBooks in your browser or eReader.
Gain Access to E-books Across Many Subjects Including:
Business and economics, Education, Language arts and disciplines, Political science, Religion, Literary criticism, Medical, Social science, Philosophy, Technology and Engineering, World History
Check out the eBook Guide for more information. - Infobase eBooks This link opens in a new window971 popular literary novels written by popular and literarily significant authors.
Subjects to search include- careers & education, Literature criticism, and reference, multicultural studies, Mythology and paranormal, religion and philosophy, and US. history, Women studies and world history - Open Library This link opens in a new windowOpen Library is a partnership of libraries to offer the interlibrary loan of eBooks directly to library patrons. Account holders can borrow eBooks from the site. St. Mary's University is a participant in the Open Library initiative. The Internet Archive and participating libraries have selected digitized books from their collections that are available to be borrowed by one patron at a time from anywhere in the world for free. These books are available in BookReader format and usually in PDF and ePub formats.
Create an account to start using Open Library. Take a look at the Help page for more information.
Encyclopedias
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new windowCredo Reference's curated, authoritative reference sources provide a firm foundation for understanding a topic. Core Collection subscribers can search in hundreds of encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri, quotations, subject-specific book titles, video titles, thousands of images, audio files, and maps. The eBook Collection features thousands of core reference works from acclaimed imprints such as Facts On File, Ferguson's, and Bloom's on a wide range of subject areas, from history to science, literature, and more. Fianlly, Films On Demand is a comprehensive, curriculum-focused video subscription providing unlimited access to thousands of videos in 30+ subjects, including the humanities, science, business, literature, health, and more. Professors can stimulate and reinforce their lectures, and students can find inspiration and materials for their research. New content is added regularly.
- Gale eBooks: General Reference Collection This link opens in a new windowAn award-winning, hassle-free eBook experience—anytime, anywhere, and on any device. Gale’s eBook platform provides comprehensive support from many of today’s top publishers.
Collections include titles on:
Arts, Biography, Business, Education, Environment, General Reference, History, Information and Publishing, Law, LCO, Literature, Medicine, Multicultural Studies, Nation and World, Religion, SATA, Science, Social Science, Technology - Oxford Reference This link opens in a new windowOxford Reference is the premier online reference product, spanning 25 different subject areas, bringing together 2 million digitized entries across Oxford University Press’s Dictionaries, Companions, and Encyclopedias.
As you browse through Oxford Reference, you may find results that range from short-entry, a general reference to more in-depth articles on specialized subjects.
Note: Limited titles in our subscription.
WorldCat - Search the World's Libraries
Search WorldCat for books, journals, primary and archival resources, and other materials owned by libraries in Texas and worldwide.
You can request materials we do not own via Interlibrary Loan.
Don't forget to ask a librarian for help if you have questions.