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Find resources and literature

As a student or member of staff at VID Specialized University, you've got access to the library's print and electronic collections.

The collections contain academic information resources and content that you can use in your studies and research. You have several different options for navigating and searching the collections, so you can easily find what you need.

Search tools

Below is an introduction to some search tools that you can use to search both within and outside of VID's collections.

When you search in Oria, you are primarily searching VID's collections, and you will get results for print books, e-books, and articles in e-journals that the university has access to.

You can easily narrow down or expand your search:

  • When you want to get results only for e-resources, select [VID digital].
  • When you want to get results for books and journals in other libraries' collections, select [Norwegian Academic Libraries].
  • When you want to include e-resources that VID does not have access to, use the function [Include material your institution doesn't have access to].

For detailed guides, see the page on How to use Oria.

When searching for literature related to a larger thesis or research project, we recommend doing this in a subject-specific database. The library subscribes to many such subject databases. They allow you to search methodically and systematically, which can make your search results more accurate and comprehensive.

You will find an overview of the databases in Oria. You can filter by subject area and database type. For some key databases, there are links to search guides that can help you get started.

In Google Scholar, you can easily search for scientific articles. You can check if VID has access to articles you find by first selecting VID as your library within Google Scholar. You do this under [Settings] > [Library links].

In the search results list, links to full text will appear when VID has access to them. If VID does not have access, you will instead get a link to a request form.

Finding specific resource types

How you proceed to find resources depends on what type of resource it pertains to. The guide below helps you choose a method based on some commonly requested types of resources.

Oria

Print books in VID's collection are searchable in Oria.

  • Search by the author's last name and/or words from the book's title.
  • Check the book's campus, shelf location, and whether the book is available.
  • If the book is on loan, you can place a hold on it (this requires you to be signed in).
  • If you cannot find the book you are looking for, you can expand your search to other Norwegian academic libraries' collections.

See detailed guide for finding books

Oria

E-books in VID's collection are searchable in Oria.

  • Search by the author's last name and/or words from the book's title.
  • E-books are identified by the label [Available online] under the title.
  • Click on the title to display the link to the full text.

NB: Some e-books can only be read by a limited number of people simultaneously. If you are unable to open an e-book because it is in use, you can try again after a while.

EBSCOhost

VID subscribes to two large collections of e-books through the provider EBSCO. You will find e-books when you search in Oria, but you can also search directly in these collections in the EBSCOhost database:

Oria

In Oria, you will find articles in journals that VID subscribes to, as well as open access articles. If you expand your search, you can also find articles that VID does not subscribe to.

  • Search by the article's title.
  • Click on [Download article] or [Read article] under the title in the search results to access the full text.
  • Click on [Available online] for more information and to display alternative full-text links.
  • Select [Include material your institution doesn't have access to] to display articles in journals that the library does not subscribe to. You can request articles that VID does not have access to.
  • When searching for academic articles, it is recommended to narrow your search using the filter [From Peer-Reviewed Journals].

NB: Articles that are only available in print journals are not searchable in Oria. In these cases, you will need to search for the title of the journal and find the shelf location.

Google Scholar

You can also search for articles in Google Scholar (GS). See information about GS under Search tools above.

Databases

VID subscribes to many databases where you can find and read articles in full text. See more information about databases under Search tools above.

Check access to full text

If you cannot find the full text of an article, you can double-check if VID has access. This can be done in various ways; see the page on Access to e-resources.

Oria

On the E-journals page in Oria, you will find an overview of all e-journals that VID has access to.

If you are only looking for print journals, you can narrow your search to this under the filter [Material type] when conducting a regular search in Oria.

BrowZine

You can use BrowZine to browse the journals that VID subscribes to. If you find an interesting article, you can click through to view the full text. If you create a personal account, you can save your favorite journals and receive notifications whenever a new issue becomes available.

Atekst

VID subscribes to the media archive Atekst. Atekst gives you access to editorial content from both larger and smaller Norwegian newspapers.

Finding reading lists

Reading lists at VID are openly available in the reading list system Leganto. You can also find a link to the reading list for a course via the page Courses. As a student, you can access the reading list for your course in the course room in Canvas.

Obtaining mandatory literature via the library

The literature in the reading list is available in either print or electronic format. It is expected that you, as a student, purchase your own copies of books that are required literature.

The library usually has multiple copies available for loan of all print books that are mandatory literature and at least one copy of print books that are recommended literature. It is common to have a shorter loan period (2 weeks) for reading list books since many want to borrow these. You can also borrow reading list books as a day loan or for use on-site in the library. The reading list indicates where the book is located (campus library and shelf location) and whether it is available for loan or needs to be reserved. You cannot reserve books that are day loans.

Excerpts from books are often compiled into a digital compendium that is provided by the course coordinator in the course room in Canvas. Occasionally, the reading book is available as an e-book. Articles and e-books are available in full text via links in the reading list for signed-in students.

Oria

In the overview of Databases and online resources in Oria, you can narrow your search to dictionaries. All students, for example, have access to the dictionary service Ordnett.

Oria

You can find a selection of previous bachelor and master theses produced at VID in Oria.

VID:Open

Student theses can also be found in VID's full-text archive VID:Open.

For more information, see "Publishing and previous theses" on the page Write and publish (My page).

Students on campus Oslo

Searching and thesis writing

On My page, we have gathered useful information and resources about searching for those of you who are in the process of writing a thesis.

Contact

Feel free to contact the library if you have questions about access to resources and literature.

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