General Library Research Tutorial: Module 1: Library Orientation

The BenU Library website (www.ben.edu/library) is your central portal to library resources, services, help, and general information.

Use our Chat with a Librarian button on the Library website to contact us when you need help finding peer-reviewed sources, using databases effectively, and more.

Librarians are also available in-person, by email, or by virtual appointment. To schedule a virtual appointment, use our Research Consultation Request Form.

You have two main Library accounts:

• Library Proxy - The Library Proxy gives you off-campus access to Library electronic resources, such as databases and eBooks. When you access a Library electronic resource from off campus, you'll be automatically prompted to sign in.
• BenSearch - Use BenSearch to request and renew items from the BenU Library and I-Share. I-Share is a group of more than 85 academic libraries across Illinois.

For login help, please see the Library Login FAQ.

The Library provides access to journals, magazines, and newspapers. While some are available in print or microform formats, the vast majority are available online through the Library's research databases. You can access Library databases on or off campus.

Find the full list of our databases on our Academic Databases page.

To search multiple databases at the same time, use the "BenSearch" and "EBSCO Articles" search boxes on the Library homepage.

Sometimes, databases don't provide the full text of the article you need. In that case, look for the Find Full Text button. If you see this button while searching a database, use it to discover if the full text of the article is available in a different database that we subscribe to.

Watch this short video to learn more about database searching:

Search BenSearch to find print books, eBooks, DVDs, streaming videos, CDs, and other physical and electronic materials. Use the search box in the "BenSearch" or "Books & Videos" tab on the Library homepage.

Example:

In this search for the term "human genome," eBooks have an "Available Online" link and print books have a call number, which you can use to find the book on the shelf.

When you know exactly which journal, magazine, or newspaper you're looking for, click Search Journals By Title in the BenSearch tab on the Library homepage. This will bring you to a webpage where you can enter the journal title (not the article title) to find out if the Library subscribes to it and, if so, how to access it.

Watch this short video to learn how search for journals by title:

If the BenU Library doesn't have an article or book you need, you can request a copy at no cost to you through interlibrary loan. Interlibrary loan, or ILL for short, is the loaning of items between libraries. Click "Interlibrary Loan" in the menu bar on the Library website to access our two ILL services.

Use I-Share to Request Books

• I-Share is a catalog of materials from more than 85 academic libraries
• I-Share is available inside BenSearch. You must be signed in to BenSearch in order to place requests. Your BenSearch username is your ben.edu email address and your password is the same password you use to access MyBenU.
• 3 to 7 day delivery
• Typical loan period: 4 weeks (renewals allowed)
• Books not picked up within 2 weeks will be returned
• More information about I-Share

Use ILLiad to Request Articles

• ILLiad is an interlibrary loan system primarily for requesting articles
• Log in using your BenU network credentials
• 3 to 5 day delivery (delivered electronically)
• Articles are accessible 5 times or for 15 days
• More information about ILLiad

Some professors place course readings on reserve. To access Course Reserves, click the Course Reserves shortcut on the Library homepage. Then, search for your course by course name, course number, or your professor's last name, or search for the item by title.