E-books make up a large portion of our collections. An e-reader is not necessary.

Finding E-Books

You can find e-books using the library portal Primo: To do so, combine the “Books” and “Available online” filters

The “All” search scope covers:

• publications licensed for Freie Universität
• publicaions listed in “Articles+” (the Primo megaindex) that are freely available, e.g., books on open-access platforms and institutional repositories
• book chapters if recorded individually
• printed holdings, which you can exclude by using the “Available online” filter.

The “FU Catalog” search scope covers:

• books in the Libraries’ printed collections
• e-books licensed by the University Library.

The „Articles+“ search scope covers:

• e-books that are freely available
• parts of the collections of e-books licensed for Freie Universität
• book chapters if recorded individually

If a book is not available at Freie Universität, there are two options for obtaining it:

• Interlibrary loan: Request the book from another library in Germany or abroad.
• Purchase suggestion: Suggest the book for purchase. We will check as soon as possible to see whether it can be acquired.

You can search for electronic journals using the library portal Primo or the Electronic Journals Libray (EZB).

Finding E-Journals

In Primo: 

• You can search specifically for e-journals in Primo: To do so, combine the “Journals” and “Available online” filters. 

In the Electronic Journals Library (Elektronische Zeitschriftenbibliothek, EZB):

• EZB is a service provided jointly by a number of German libraries. It covers more than 111,000 titles. It can be used to look up which e-journals are licensed for which libraries and which journals are freely available on the internet.
• To help you get started with your search, the library has a comprehensive help page.
• Accessibility is displayed on the EZB pages using a traffic-light system:
  
  

  	green: freely accessible
  	yelllow: activated for Freie Universität members
  	yellow + red: not all volumes accessible
  	red: not accessible
  	In the case of journals marked with a Euro symbol in addition to the traffic-light, individual articles can be obtained on a pay-per-view basis.

We provide access to databases in a wide variety of subjects and of various types. The two main types are:

• bibliographic databases (with records and abstracts)
• Full-text databases (containing articles, e-books or other full texts).

Fact and image databases or video archives are some other categories.

Finding Databases: Database Information System

• The Database Information System (Datenbanken-Infosystem, DBIS) can be used to find the right database for your project. DBIS covers all databases available at Freie Universität – resources licensed to the university as well as resources that are freely accessible. You can use different search entry points:

• Databases by subject
• Advanced search
• Trial access (resources available temporarily)
• Collections

• Using subject databases to supplement your search on the library portal Primo is a good idea, as not all publishers or providers supply records of their content to Primo.

• Accessibility of databases at Freie Universität is indicated by color:

	green: freely accessible
	yellow: licensed at my institution
	red: not accessible at my institution

• Is there a database you wish to see included? Let us know, what you are looking for: e-ressourcen@ub.fu-berlin.de

Primo:

• Activate the “Databases” filter. Keep in mind that not all publishers and providers supply records of their content to Primo. So, including subject databases in your search process is advisable.

Find many issues – sometimes reaching back in time to some extent – in the “News and Press Search” collection in the Database Information System (DBIS).

Here are some of the most important press databases listed in DBIS:

• Nexis Uni: German-language and international print and online press content from several thousand newspapers, magazines and periodicals – e.g., Der Spiegel, Die Welt, Die ZEIT, The Guardian, The New York Times, El País, Le Figaro, Libération, Corriere della Sera.
• Wiso Presse: large database of German-language daily and weekly press – e.g., Die ZEIT / Zeit Online, Frankfurter Rundschau, Der Spiegel / Spiegel Online, taz – die tageszeitung, Focus, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Der Standard.
• F.A.Z.-Bibliotheksportal: various Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung publications (including the podcast archive).
• Süddeutsche Zeitung Archiv: All content starting 1945, including the same-day issue.

Access for Freie Universität

All resources available in the framework of German national licenses are accessible from within the Freie Universität Berlin network. You can find a complete List of licensed databases and collections at: www.nationallizenzen.de (in German). The licensed content includes completed collections and is of particular relevance for the humanities and social sciences.

Access for Individuals

Residents of Germany who do not have access through a university network or an academic library can request registration for access to the full texts through one of the following libraries:

• Bayerische Staatsbibliothek Munich
• Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Göttingen
• Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin
• Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg Frankfurt am Main

We post on Biblioblog to inform about trials for resources and about changes in the range of digital resources we provide access to. During trials, content from the respective publishers and providers is temporarily accessible to some extent. The purpose is to assess the usage potential of new resources and better gauge demand. Depending on levels of interest, requests, and financial constraints, trials may lead to regular licenses.

Feel free to send as suggestions of e-books or databases to be acquired: e-ressourcen@ub.fu-berlin.de