Business Library

Access information

Most publishing houses currently use an IP verification system to regulate access to their fee-based online services. This means that you can access most of them via the ‘bfh.ch’ domain without a special user ID or password.

You will need to install Adobe Reader to access many journal articles in full.

Access from outside the BFH network

Access to databases, eJournals and books is only possible from the campus of Bern University of Applied Sciences.

Members of Bern University of Applied Sciences are free to use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to access the databases externally.

Password-protected resources

You need a password to access some databases and eJournals.

Members of the Department of Business can find the login data in the BFH Moodle 10 – Library

Conditions for accessing and using online resources

Please comply with the terms and conditions of the publishing houses/providers.

In general, the following rules apply:

• Only members of Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH) may access the full-text versions.

• In certain cases, access is restricted to individual departments of BFH.

• Systematic downloading of articles or search results is prohibited.

• Full-text articles may only be printed or saved for personal use.

• Users are prohibited from sharing articles (printed as well as electronic) with third parties.

• Do not remove, edit or override the content and layout of the articles in any way.

• For example:

• Identifying features such as the name of author and publisher, copyright notes, logos and brands.

If the publishing houses/providers detect a violation of their conditions of use, access to full-text articles may be revoked.

FAQ – BFH online resources

Please also note the frequently asked questions.

Access to all reference and full-text databases licensed by BFH.

The recommended entry point for searching articles on a specific topic.

In the subject of business, the most popular databases are ABI/Inform, Business Source Premier, Web of Science, Emerald and, for German-language sources, WISO.

You can find them in the specialist information for business and consulting services.

Please also see the Resource Type filter and the search tips. They include reference works, statistics, standards, media and company information, dissertations and images.

Specialist information on business information technology, database information system (DBIS) filtered for ‘business information technology’

Other databases licensed by BFH:

Full-text access to SN(INB/SWISSMEM), ISO and Electrosuisse standards.

The database contains high-quality abstracts of the latest business literature in fields such as management, strategy, sales, marketing, innovation, economics and politics.

The film archive of Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) in NEBIS.
You can combine the code e65o4 with other search terms. To watch this film, navigate to ‘Online Access’ and select ‘Online access via nanoo’. Use Switchaai to log in with your BFH account.

Members of the Department of Business can use their BFH email address to register on campus and gain free access (login in the top right corner: ‘Noch nicht registriert?’

– left column:

‘Registrierung Universitätsangehörige’).

The legal database Swisslex contains all rulings by the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland, the federal courts and most of the cantonal courts of last resort alongside legal commentary, monographs and specialist journals.

Members of the Department of Business can use their BFH email address to register and gain free access.

To register, click ‘My Weblaw’ in the top right corner (‘Neukunde’ – ‘Ich studiere oder arbeite an einer öffentlichen Hochschule/Uni’ = Berner Fachhochschule).

Weblaw also includes access to Jusletter, a legal journal, and a comprehensive legal bibliography.

EZB offers instant access to full-text academic journals in any discipline.

It includes all eJournals licensed by BFH.

Yellow/red traffic lights indicate that BFH has only licensed a part of the published volumes as full-text versions.

Please note:

EZB does not support searches for individual journal articles.

Search a specific database or the NEBIS Research online catalogue instead, using the tab ‘Articles and More’.

You will receive more results if you enter your search terms in English.

All print journals can be consulted on site in the Business Library.

All except the latest issue are available for loan.

The NEBIS online catalogue lists all available print journals and some eJournals.

Tip:

Enter key words from the title, then apply the filter ‘Journals’ and, if relevant, ‘Online (on campus)’.

Open access

Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). Online directory that indexes and provides access to quality open-access, peer-reviewed journals.

The institutional repository of BFH

You can directly check the platforms of the various providers to see whether you can access them through a BFH license.

Most of our eBooks can be accessed through the NEBIS online catalogue, however.

After entering your search term in the right-hand column, choose the filter ‘BFH’ and ‘Online (on campus)’ to find them.

Please note the NEBIS Search Help.

Specialisms: business, psychology, social sciences, humanities, social work

Specialisms: business, engineering and information technology

Specialisms: information technology/Please note: access is restricted to five users at a time

Specialisms: economic sciences, business, social sciences, engineering, information technology, humanities and medicine.

The universities of applied sciences have jointly licensed eBook collections for various subjects.

1.

Scope

These conditions of use apply to the following NEBIS libraries of Bern University of Applied Sciences:

These libraries are members of NEBIS, the Network of Libraries and Information Centers in Switzerland, and IDS, the Information Association of German-speaking Switzerland.

2.

Right to use

The libraries of Bern University of Applied Sciences supply information and literature to researchers, teachers and students of Bern University of Applied Sciences.

It is also open to other interested individuals.

Access to of the BFH libraries is provided free of charge with the exception of some specific services.

Please refer to our fine structure below.

3.

Registration

• You need to register with the library to borrow media and use other services.

• The NEBIS catalogue contains an online registration form.

• If you already possess an IDS library card, you do not need to register again.

• The main library electronically stores the following data when your user account is approved:

• Surname, first name, date of birth, address, telephone number, email address, student number, user group.

• The IDS uses the same data to register you.

• You can also use your personal user number and the corresponding password for ordering, reserving and borrowing media from all other IDS libraries.

• To view your stored data, access your personal user account.

• By registering an account, the user accepts our conditions of use.

4.

User ID and user account

• A user ID is required to borrow books.

• All user IDs are personalised and non-transferable.

• You must produce a valid, official picture ID to obtain your user ID.

• Students and members can use their BFH card as a user ID.

• If you lose your user ID, please inform the main library or the customer support team of the ETH library immediately.

• If your address changes, please inform a NEBIS library or update your user profile yourself.

• You can request a new password if you forget yours.

• To do so, contact your main library or the customer support team of the ETH library and state your name, user number, address, telephone number and date of birth.

5.

Copyright issues and utilisation of media

• All media held by the library are subject to copyright law and must be used for personal purposes only.

• Transfer to third parties and commercial use are not permissible.

• The onus is on the user to comply with copyright laws.

• BFH accepts no liability for any copyright violations.

6.

Internet use

• The computer stations are primarily provided for accessing the online services of the BFH libraries and conducting academic, professional or career research.

• All users are obliged to comply with the law when using the Internet.

• For information about personal liability, abuse and potential consequences, please refer to ‘Profile + Values’ in the section ‘Legal foundations’ for using IT resources at Bern University of Applied Sciences.

7.

Liability

• Please treat all media with care.

• Repairs and replacements will be charged to the person responsible for the damage or loss.

• The last user of a borrowed medium is fully liable for any damage or loss incurred during their borrowing period.

• Existing damage or missing components (data carriers, foils, cards, etc.) must be reported immediately and no later than at the moment of return.

• Use media at your own risk.

• BFH accepts no liability.

8.

Conduct inside the library

• Users of the library facilities must conduct themselves in a way that does not interfere with the legitimate requirements of others, obstruct library operations or damage the holdings or facilities.

• Users must comply with instructions from library staff.

• Failure to do so may result in removal from the library.

• Repeated or severe violations of the conditions of use may result in a ban from the library.

November 2015

9.

Borrowing conditions

• The majority of media held in the library may be borrowed.

• Certain items can only be used on site.

• You can borrow media on site (at the front desk), by online check-out wherever this option is available, or by ordering them online from the library catalogue. Please produce your user ID when picking up ordered materials at the library.

• Media that have been borrowed by another user can be reserved online through the NEBIS catalogue.

• Once ordered or reserved media become available, they can be picked up at the front desk during the library opening hours (7 days a week).

• Treat borrowed media with care, protect them from damage and return them intact and complete.

• Marking and highlighting is considered damage (see Liability).

10.

Posting of media and copies

• BFH libraries will send its users media from their own holdings in the post for a fee.

• You can order media from other libraries to your main library using the NEBIS lending network.

• For a list of libraries that are part of the NEBIS lending network (NAV), see www.nebis.ch/Verbund/NEBIS-Bibliotheken (column titled ‘NAV’).

• General entrance requirements apply.

• Not all BFH libraries offer a postal service and inter-library borrowing.

11.

Loan periods and renewals

• The standard loan periods are 28 days for books, 14 days for other media (e.g. DVDs) and 3 days for circulating journals.

• You can see your return dates in your user account.

• Unless the borrowed media are requested by another user, the initial loan period is automatically renewed twice.

• After the automatic renewal period, you can renew the medium up to three times manually in your user account.

• You must return the medium after the maximum loan period has expired.

• If the medium has not been reserved by another user, you can borrow it again from the front desk.

• All media can be reserved by other users at any time; reserved media are recalled after their current loan period expires.

• If you are going to be absent for a period exceeding the loan period (military service, holidays, stay abroad, etc.), you must return the borrowed media before your departure.

12.

Overdue notices

• The onus is on you to return your borrowed media on time.

• Non-receipt of overdue notices (by post or email) does not constitute a valid reason for late returns.

• Complaints are not accepted.

• If a loan period has been exceeded or a medium has been requested by another user, we will send the following reminders in the post and charge the following fines:

• The third overdue notice is sent by post. Your user account will be locked at the same time.

• If the medium is not returned after the third overdue notice, it will be marked as lost.

• The person responsible for the loss must replace the medium and pay a processing fee.

• You can request an invoice for your fines (exception:

• HKB Media Library).

• If no invoice has been issued, you can pay in cash at the front desk.

• The libraries are under no obligation to store details about overdue notices and fines for an extended period of time. They are erased after three months.

13.

Returning media

• Borrowed media must be returned to your main library or a member library of the NEBIS lending network.

• Some libraries allow you to return media outside of the library opening hours by depositing them into a returns box.

• Postal returns are accepted.

• Users must return all borrowed media on time.

• The return date is the date on which the borrowed media are marked as returned.

• Users are liable for the belated delivery of postal returns, damage and losses.

November 2015