Online students and faculty have access to the full range of Archabbey Library resources. This includes online databases, e-books, and online reference sources. Archabbey Library print resources are available through "scan and deliver" service as well as by remote delivery through mail and courier. Archabbey Library also belongs to a number of library consortia that enable students and faculty to borrow books directly from libraries nearer to their homes.
To use Archabbey Library resources, you will need to register with the library so we can set up your library account. Once you get your library account, you will have a unique 14-digit barcode that is your system username. When your try to use a resource remotely, you will be prompted to login. You can login using your Saint Meinrad email login. This is the same as your Learning Management System (Moodle) login. If you do not have a Saint Meinrad email address, you will need to set up a system password. This is different from your LMS password. The first time you try to access your library account online or to access a resource such as a database, a pop-up login window will appear. Click on the "Set/reset your password" link and follow instructions. Here is a more complete set of instructions for password setup: Setting up your Archabbey Library password in WorldCat Discovery.
Articles from online journals and full-text databases can be searched and accessed either through the library catalog or through the search interfaces provided by the databases. Most of the articles in these sources are peer-reviewed. Archabbey Library journal articles can be included in Google searches by using Google Scholar.
To activate links to Archabbey Library resources in Google Scholar follow these instructions: Archabbey Library in Google Scholar. The library catalog and Google Scholar search resources across a broad spectrum of resources. The search interfaces individual databases search a narrow group of resources, but search them much more thoroughly. Here are the library's most important databases with links to their search interfaces:
Academic Search Complete A multidisciplinary database that indexes over 10,000 journals from all academic disciplines, including more than 500 in religion and philosophy, most of which are available full-text.
ATLA Religion Database with ALTASerials Plus Online through EBSCOhost. Contains over one million bibliographic citations to journal articles, essays in books, and book reviews in the field of religion. Also contains some full-text access to articles.
New Testament Abstracts. Online through EBSCOhost. Online edition begins with 1985. Sources are both journal articles and books. Includes a scripture search function.
Old Testament Abstracts. Online through EBSCOhost. Begins in 1978. Sources are predominantly journal articles but also include books, essays and software. Includes a scripture search function.
The Philosopher's Index. A current and comprehensive bibliographic database covering scholarly research in all major fields of philosophy. It indexes research published since 1940 including nearly 600 journals from 43 countries.
EBSCOHost Databases. Allows searching some or all of the five preceding databases through a single search interface.
JSTOR. Archive of major journals in humanities and social sciences. These collections contain a wealth of full-text articles on religion and theology, Church history, philosophy, art, architecture, and music, as well as classical languages and literature. Does not contain the most recent five years of most journals.
HeinOnline Religion and the Law. Provides online access to journals on religion and law, canon law, publications of the Christian Legal Society and the Canon Law Society, and many other valuable resources.
More than 200,000 e-books are available to Archabbey Library patrons through Project Muse, JSTOR, EBSCOHost, Proquest Ebook Central, Oxford Scholarship Online, and other publishers. E-books can be discovered and accessed through the library catalog. There are links to individual e-book suppliers on the library website's E-book Collections page.
E-books will be mixed in with other catalog search returns, or you can limit your search to e-books by using either the "format" dropdown box on the Advanced Search Page or the facet checkbox on the left side of the search results pages. Most e-books can be downloaded, "checked-out," for two weeks at a time. They can all be read online anytime. To access e-books, you will need to use your library login.
All of the following resources can be accessed through links found under the Reference tab on the library's webpage.
New Catholic Encyclopedia Online. The New Catholic Encyclopedia is accessed the Gale Virtual Reference Library. It contains articles on all aspects of Catholic Church history, sacraments, scripture, and theology. The New Catholic Encyclopedia Online is a Gale ebook, so the search will be through the Gale website.
Oxford Reference Online. Brings together language and subject reference works from Oxford University Press into a single cross-searchable resource. Contains multiple dictionaries and encyclopedias on scripture, religion and theology.
Oxford Biblical Studies Online. Access to six Oxford editions of the Bible alongside commentary, reference material, primary texts, maps, images, and interactive timelines.
Oxford English Dictionary. Online version of the monumental Oxford English Dictionary.
Oxford Music Online. Includes the full texts of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd Edition, The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, and The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd Edition, as well as all subsequent updates.
Oxford Art Online. An online scholarly art encyclopedia covering all aspects of Western and non-Western visual art. It includes the full text of The Dictionary of Art, containing more than 45,000 articles.
The Chicago Manual of Style Online. The online version of the 16th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style, the standard guide for formatting most theological writing.
Archabbey Library patrons can request articles and books not owned by Archabbey Library through Interlibrary Loan (ILL). In most cases, books can be borrowed from another library for one month. Books borrowed through ILL must be picked up at Archabbey Library. If you cannot get to Archabbey Library to pick up a book, it would be better to request the book through your local public library, which should have an ILL service. Articles are usually delivered electronically, so they can be delivered anywhere.
You can place an ILL order by using the "Request Item" button in the library catalog. This button is found above the "Library's Worldwide" holdings list in the long item record. In EBSCO database searches, you can just click on the "Request through Interlibrary Loan" link when you find an item not owned by Archabbey Library. You can also use the ILL form linked on the Archabbey Library webpage.
As a service to students, faculty, and staff who cannot get to the library, Archabbey Library will, within the limits of copyright law, make and send PDF files of print journal articles and book chapters. You can use the Document Delivery form to request documents.
The consortia listed below allow Archabbey Library patrons to borrow books directly from member libraries.
PALNI (Private Academic Libraries of Indiana). Archabbey Library patrons can borrow directly from any of the 23 PALNI member college and university libraries with their Archabbey Library cards. The list of PALNI member libraries can be found here.
ALI (Academic Libraries of Indiana). Archabbey Library patrons can borrow books from any academic library in Indiana. This includes public university libraries, such as Indiana University, Purdue, and Indiana State and private institutions, such as Notre Dame, University of Evansville, and Valparaiso. To borrow from ALI institutions, other than those in PALNI, you must request an ALI identification card from Archabbey Library.
ALTA Reciprocal Borrowing Program. This program sponsored by the American Theological Librarian Association allows patrons of participating libraries to borrow from a host of libraries across the United States. To learn more about this program visit the program homepage and participating library map for the program.
TEAM-A. This is a consortium of five schools of theology in northern Kentucky and southern Indiana. The members are Saint Meinrad, Louisville Presbyterian, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Ashbury, and Lexington Theological Seminary. To borrow from member libraries, just present your Saint Meinrad identification.
To get help with any library-related issue, you can call us directly at 800-987-7311 or 812-357-6401. For research assistance, email Dan Kolb at dkolb@saintmeinrad.edu or call 812-357-6566. Any questions can also be submitted through the Ask A Librarian form.