What e-resources are available
The University subscribes to a vast range of high quality digital resources, including e-books, academic journals, newspapers, data sets, multimedia and government publications. They're essential to your assignments, research and teaching.
- Current Kent students and staff: you can access all of these resources from anywhere with an internet connection.
Find the content you need
We work with academic schools and faculties to make sure we subscribe to the key databases and digital collections for all University subjects.
- LibrarySearch is the best place to start your search:
- View digital resources by clicking on the Digital Collections tab in the search results page; it includes all our e-resources, although it may not search within the content of some e-resource packages.
- The default / Library Collections tab displays all physical items held in our Library collections.
- LibrarySearch Digital is a custom view of LibrarySearch which includes all our e-resources.
- Digital resources directory: lists all the digital library databases the University subscribes to, plus some key Open Access resources. Search the list or filter by subject, resource type or access.
- check your subject library resource guide for advice on the best resources for your subject.
We also have advice to help you find Open Access articles and books on the internet.
If you find resources on the web
If you find a useful looking journal article or other resource through a search engine, be aware that we may not subscribe to it.
Customise your web browser with these tools so you can quickly check if you have access:
| Tool | How to use it |
|---|---|
| Google Scholar for Kent |
You can customise Google Scholar to provide a link to any content you find that we subscribe to at the University. In Google Scholar: 1. Click on the 'hamburger' menu and click Settings This will save these settings to the browser on your computer you are using. Now when you search you will get links through to the content that we have access to from Google. |
| LibKey Nomad |
LibKey Nomad is a free browser extension that delivers one-click access to the full-text articles of library-subscribed journals and open access journals . It provides instant access to all Library subscription resources and free to Read Open Access content without getting stuck behind paywalls or multiple login screens.
We strongly recommend you read the Privacy policy of this, and any other third party apps before downloading to your browser. Check the LibKey support page for more details. |
| EndNote Click (formerly Kopernio) |
EndNote Click is a free browser extension that lets you access journal articles from thousands of academic websites (including Web of Science, Google Scholar, PubMed, arXiv, and Scopus) with one click if we subscribe to the article. It's available for Chrome, Firefox and Opera. The first time you use it you need to specify University of Kent. If you want EdNote Click to keep your PFDs, you also need to create an account. EndNote Click integrates with Mendeley, Zotero and Dropbox. |
| Open Access Button |
When you find an article you need on a publisher's webpage or in a database, the Open Access Button searches the internet for an Open Access copy of the work. Drag the button to the bookmark bar on your browser, except Chrome, where it's a browser extension. The Open Access Button doesn't work well with Internet Explorer/Edge. More on how to use the Open Access Button. 'Open Access' refers to material that is free to all readers at the point of access. |
Logging in
Kent IT Account
Most often you'll see the Kent IT Account login screen, where you have to log in with your Kent IT Account username and password.
Once you've logged into one resource you may not have to enter your details again for other resources in the same browser session.
Shibboleth, Federated or Institution access
Some resources have login links or buttons that say Shibboleth, Federated access or Institutional access:
- select 'University of Kent' from a drop down list (you may have to pick United Kingdom as your country first).
- log in with your Kent IT Account username and password.
If you find a Shibboleth authenticated e-resource on the web, you can only access it if the University subscribes to it.
Athens
If you see links or buttons that say 'Athens login' or similar, ignore them. We don't use this method.
Accessible formats
If the content you've found is not in a format that is readily accessible to you, try these free productivity tools that can help you read or listen to content more efficiently.
If you need more support or have feedback on the accessibility of resources, please contact us.
Help
Find out all the ways you can get in touch: