Directions:

Location:

Mary Church Terrell Main Library
148 W College St. Oberlin, OH 44074-1545

Parking:

The main visitor lot is the east Service Building lot, and the south row of the Carnegie Building lot for visitors to offices within that building.

Search Tools

Summon

Summon provides access to millions of sources of all types (books, articles, audio, videos, images, etc.) on nearly any subject. Summon searches many, but not all, Oberlin College Libraries resources; comprehensive research should include subject databases. It searches the full text of some, but not all, Oberlin books, including books that Oberlin only owns in print.

If you are looking for a specific book, film, or journal, use OBIS, our catalog. If you are looking for a specific journal article, use the Journal Finder. Summon also includes the collection of the Allen Memorial Art Museum as well as materials from other research centers and open access repositories.

Databases A-Z

The Databases A-Z list provides a complete alphabetical list of searchable databases accessible to you through the Oberlin College Libraries. The databases range from those that cover multiple subject areas, e.g. JSTOR or Web of Science, to more narrow research topics, e.g. SOCIndex.

They contain both citations and full text for ebooks, peer reviewed journals, newspapers, magazines, data sets, images, music, primary documents, and more. You will want to use them for finding credible and scholarly materials required for your college research.

If you are unsure which databases are best for your research topic try using the subject and type filters, consult a subject or course guide, Ask a Librarian, or make a research appointment.

OBIS Catalog

OBIS provides access to print and digital books, databases, audiovisual materials, journals, and course reserves. It is the best place to look up books, recordings, journals, and films by title to determine if you can access an item through Oberlin. To see if Oberlin has access to an individual article, use the journal list. OBIS makes it easier to search by subject heading than Summon does, but it does not index the full-text of any books.

In addition to books available at Oberlin through OBIS, patrons also have access to collections from a number of public, university, and college libraries in the state of Ohio through Oberlin College’s partnership with the OhioLink consortium and SearchOhio.

Journal Finder

The Journal Finder lists in one place every print and electronic journal, magazine, and newspaper available through both paid subscriptions and reputable open access platforms. Use the Journal Finder to see if Oberlin subscribes to these publications, to see if they're available online, or to compare coverage dates across databases or subscription services.

The Journal Finder will not allow you to search by article title to determine if Oberlin owns an item - you must search by publication title (e.g. Nature or The New York Times) and then navigate through the volume and issue and year provided by the citation. If you want to search by article title, search for the article from Summon.

WorldCat

WorldCat contains more than 43 million records describing books and other items owned by libraries around the world. You can search for popular books, music, CDs, and videos—all of the physical items you're used to getting from libraries. You can also discover digital content, such as downloadable audiobooks. Use InterLibrary Loan to order materials that you locate on WorldCat.

Berliner Philharmoniker Digital Concert Hall

The Digital Concert Hall provides access to the Berliner Philharmoniker's live performances and rebroadcasts as well as music-related documentaries and interviews. The site contains an archive of past performances.

Research Guides

Course Guides

Course Guides are organized collections of resources created for the research and information needs of students in specific courses. Research strategies and library services are also included.

Source Type Guides

Oberlin College librarians have identified the best platforms for finding resources by source type, including newspapers, magazines, dissertations and theses, books, music, primary sources, and more. Some guides also provide search tips and techniques.

Subject Guides

Research guides are the gateway to library collections and resources. Created and maintained by Oberlin College & Conservatory reference and subject librarians, Guides by Subject are organized by their relevant subject areas to provide a detailed list of recommended scholarly sources, including: databases; internet and digital resources; and the libraries’ collections of books, journals, magazines, music, art, DVDs, etc.

Guides also help you develop search strategies, cite sources and manage bibliographic references, and lead to a librarian who can provide further assistance. Subject guides are displayed alphabetically.

News: search-libraries

Search Libraries interface, including links to Course Reserves, OhioLink, Advanced Search, Newspaper

May 07, 2025

Search.Libraries, the new integrated search platform replacing OBIS, Summon, the Journal Finder, and the OhioLink catalog, is almost here. Beginning on June 25, 2025, you can expect: Faster searching An intuitive and mobile-friendly user interface Enhanced discovery - explore related and citing articles, see... Continue Reading

April 15, 2025

OhioLink Lending Pause Begins May 23

As part of the library system migration, the library catalogs used for OhioLink (Ohio academic libraries) and SearchOhio (some Ohio public libraries) will undergo summer and fall updates that will restrict lending. OhioLink books checked out under the old catalog will not be transferred to the new system - they must be returned... Continue Reading

February 17, 2025

Spring Deadlines for Faculty

Oberlin College Libraries staff are hard at work on the migration project for our primary library systems platform. The new system will go live in late June 2025. Some library services have unusual spring and summer deadlines due to the migration. March 7, 2025 - All purchase and Course Reserves requests for books, streaming... Continue Reading

January 21, 2025

New Library System Coming Summer 2025

We are excited to announce that Oberlin College Libraries will be upgrading its library services platform to Ex Libris Alma/Primo in the summer of 2025. Alma/Primo is the most-used library system in U.S. academic libraries, with more than 65% of Association of Research Libraries using it–including Harvard, Yale, Duke, and... Continue Reading

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Terrell Main Library

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Mary Church Terrell Main Library

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Learn More About Our Libraries

Berliner Philharmoniker Digital Concert Hall ? The Digital Concert Hall provides access to the Berliner Philharmoniker's live performances and rebroadcasts as well as music-related documentaries and interviews. The site contains an archive of past performances.

Course Guides ? Course Guides are organized collections of resources created for the research and information needs of students in specific courses. Research strategies and library services are also included.

Source Type Guides ? Oberlin College librarians have identified the best platforms for finding resources by source type, including newspapers, magazines, dissertations and theses, books, music, primary sources, and more. Some guides also provide search tips and techniques.

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Berliner Philharmoniker Digital Concert Hall

The Digital Concert Hall provides access to the Berliner Philharmoniker's live performances and rebroadcasts as well as music-related documentaries and interviews. The site contains an archive of past performances.

Course Guides

Course Guides are organized collections of resources created for the research and information needs of students in specific courses. Research strategies and library services are also included.

Source Type Guides

Oberlin College librarians have identified the best platforms for finding resources by source type, including newspapers, magazines, dissertations and theses, books, music, primary sources, and more. Some guides also provide search tips and techniques.