Engineering and Information Technology Library, Biel/Bienne
The Engineering and Information Technology Library in Biel is a specialised academic library. It is a member of SLSP (Swiss Library Service Platform) and open to the public. A library ID is required to borrow media. We will be happy to help you with your research or obtaining documents. Please get in touch if you have any questions about the search platform swisscovery and the electronic resources.
Library | Corona measures
Monday to Thursday: 8am to 5.30pm
Friday: 8am to 5pm
No lending: 1pm to 2pm
Saturday and Sunday: closed
Easter Week
Monday, 29 March to Thursday, 1st April:
8am to 1pm
Easter
Good Friday, 2 April to Easter Monday, 5 April:
closed
The reading room will reopen from 1 March for BFH students and staff only – with a reduced number of workplaces and subject to hygiene and social distancing rules.
Access to the building is only possible with a badge until further notice.
Loan services for external library users: please call number 032 321 64 62 so we can meet you at the entrance.
Please note that masks are compulsory.
Please disinfect your hands with the disinfectant provided before entering the library.
Mailing via swisscovery
Rate reduced to CHF 5 per document instead of CHF 12 until further notice.
News
Special opening hours in 2021
Christmas/New Year 2020/2021 |
Monday, 21 December 2020 – Sunday, 3 January 2021 |
Easter Week |
Monday, 29 March – Thursday, 1st April |
Easter |
Good Friday, 2 April – Easter Monday, 5 April |
Ascension |
Wednesday, 12 May |
Whit Monday |
Monday, 24 May |
Summer |
Monday, 19 July – Friday, 17 September |
Christmas/New Year 2021/2022 |
Thursday, 23 December |
Collection focus
- Automotive engineering
- Electrical engineering and information technology
- Computer Science
- Medical Informatics
- Mechanical engineering
- Micro- and medical technology
- Industrial engineering and management science
- as well as mathematics, natural sciences, business and communication
Holdings
The library holdings are freely accessible. All media except reference holdings can be borrowed.
Facilities and services
- Front desk (loans and information)
- 40 workspaces
- 3 PC workspaces
- Wi-Fi access (bfh-open for external users)
- Daily newspapers, weekly press for use inside the library
- Research advice
- Copier
- Journal corner
Borrowing
Below you will find details of the services and conditions of use of our library.
Library ID and online registration
The holdings of our library are freely accessible. All media except reference holdings can be borrowed.
You require a library ID to borrow any media.
It is personal and non-transferable. A valid form of official ID must be presented to obtain it.
The BFHcard can be used as a library card at BFH libraries and swisscovery libraries.
A swisscovery user account is required to borrow, order and reserve items. Register on the Swiss Library platform SLSP/swisscovery. Log in using your SWITCH edu-ID and provide consent for your personal details to be transferred to the library system.
If you don’t already have one, a SWITCH edu-ID can be created during the registration process. Please register “without AAI”.
You will find help on registration at: https://registration.slsp.ch/help/. Companies and institutions are requested to e-mail swisscovery@slsp.ch directly.
Registration is free of charge. Please adhere to the libraries’ terms and conditions of use.
If you already have a swisscovery account, you can also enter the BFHcard code as you can manage your library cards yourself as a user. The code to be entered is found on the back of the BFHcard below the barcode.
Borrowing terms
Media can be borrowed directly from the lending desk on site or ordered online via swisscovery and collected from the library after presentation of the library card.
Media is available for collection from the lending desk for seven days on which the library is open.
Lending periods
The lending period for books is generally 28 days and 14 days for non-book items (e.g. DVDs). The return date can be seen in the swisscovery user account. Providing the media borrowed is not requested by another user, the lending period is automatically extended five times from the end of the first lending period.
The return of the media at the end of the maximum lending period is mandatory. Provided no reservation has been made, it may be borrowed again.
Please return the media before longer absences (holidays, stays abroad, etc.).
The lending period indicated in the user account or in swisscovery is binding. A document is recalled after the expiry of this period in the event of a reservation. This also applies to the lending period after an extension.
The lending library has sole discretion to decide on rules of exception. Please contact the library concerned directly. The Engineering and Information Technology Library’s staff cannot extend lending periods for media from other libraries.
Fees and compensations
It is the responsibility of the user to ensure that loan periods are observed. Notifications not received (by post or e-mail) are not grounds for late returns.
Reminders
Recall/ message: free
1st reminder: CHF 5 per document
2nd reminder: additional CHF 5 per document
3rd reminder: additional CHF 10 per document
The third warning also results in the blocking of the swisscovery user account.
If the document is not returned after the third reminder, it will be marked as lost. You’ll be charged for its replacement. Furthermore, a processing fee applies. The relevant invoice will be sent to you.
Compensation in case of damage
Full cost of all repairs
Compensation in case of loss
Full cost of replacement and a processing fee amounting of CHF 30
Collection and prosecution fee
Actual costs incurred
Postage fees
per borrowed document:
- Domestic shipment: CHF 12
- International shipment: CHF 36
Photocopies
A4 per copy (black and white) |
CHF 0.10 |
A4 per copy (colour) |
CHF 0.30 |
A3 per copy (black and white) |
CHF 0.20 |
A3 per copy (colour) |
CHF 0.60 |
Copyright
It’s the customer’s responsibility to ensure compliance with the applicable provisions of the copyright act. The documents supplied are for personal use only and may not be used commercially in any form.
Returning documents
You can return borrowed documents to the Engineering and Information Technology Library or another member library of the NEBIS lending network. Alternatively, you can return them in the post. Please package all posted documents carefully. The return by post is at your own risk.
Are you leaving BFH?
Your BFHCard can still be used. Simply make sure to update your personal data and your e-mail address in your Switch edu-ID account, as your BFH e-mail address will be deleted.
Courier service and delivery periods
What is the SLSP Courier?
The SLSP Courier connects academic libraries throughout Switzerland and replaces previous courier services such as the IDS Courier and the NEBIS loan network. The SLSP Courier enables you to have books transferred from one library to another within 48 hours for a fee of CHF 6 per item ordered (delivery/return). Some institutions waive this fee for their members. The libraries at BFH, including EHSM, cover these costs on behalf of their students and staff.
Which libraries use the SLSP Courier?
When you order an item, you will see whether a library uses the SLSP Courier service.
Delivery periods
Documents from the ETH library: ~ 3 days
Documents from the BFH-AHB/TI-BU library in Burgdorf: courier service 2x a week: Tuesdays and Fridays
Documents from other member libraries: ~7 days
Please note:
The time can be considerably longer for documents that have already been loaned out or are difficult to obtain, or during the semester break.
Ordering journal articles and acquisition request
Ordering journals articles
You can use the search platform swisscovery to order journal articles.
Fees for this service vary. Please consult the fees list of the respective library.
Members of BFH-TI can order article copies from the Engineering and Information Technology library. This applies to articles from journals that are not available online.
Please send the details of the article you require (title, author(s), journal title, volume, number/issue, year, page reference to the following email address biblio.ti-bi@bfh.ch.
Acquisition request
We welcome suggestions for new purchases.
Please make sure to check whether the required document is already indexed on the search platform before you submit a purchase request.
Then send us as much information as possible (author, title, publisher, ISBN) and your user number. We will look into every suggestion.
You will hear back from us within a week. If we do purchase the document, it will be reserved for you automatically. You will be informed by e-mail about its arrival and the document will be waiting for you at the library.
Using our resources
Search platforms
BFH swisscovery
The complete collection of the Engineering and Information Technology Library is indexed on the BFH swisscovery platform. Most media can be ordered online. Please note that a library ID is required to borrow media.
BFH swisscovery is part of the new nationwide search platform. It lists over 30 million books, series, magazines and non-book items as well as over 3 billion articles.
swisscovery is operated by SLSP, the Swiss Library Service Platform. SLSP was initiated by 15 universities. As of today, 475 libraries are affiliated.
Users of BFH swisscovery have the possibility to extend their search to the overall collection of all 475 affiliated libraries with just one click (swisscovery).
Helveticat
The catalogue of the Swiss National Library.
It contains everything published in and about Switzerland.
Renouvaud
Network of the libraries of the Canton of Vaud.
Karlsruher Virtueller Katalog KVK
A meta catalogue of citations for media held in the catalogues of libraries and bookshops worldwide.
SLSP Swiss Library Service Platform
swisscovery search portal
This ist the link to the search portal: swisscovery.bfh.ch
swisscovery is operated by the Swiss Library Service Platform (SLSP). All BFH libraries (except the library of the Abegg Foundation) are members.
To continue using your library, you must register again. You can find all information on bfh.ch/slsp-en
eBooks
Fee-based eBooks
You can only access the fee-based contents of eBooks from within the BFH network or externally via a VPN.
O'Reilly for Higher Education
Online access to computer science, electrical engineering, economics - offer of latest publications, videos, interactive learning from over 250 publishers
Springer Link
Online access to the collections ‘Technik und Informatik’ (from 2011), ‘Engineering’ (from 2013), ‘Medizin’ (from 2010), ‘Sozialwissenschaften und Recht’ (from 2010), ‘Wirtschaftswissenschaften’ (from 2007), ‘Business and Economics’ (from 2011), ‘Energy’ (from 2016), ‘Naturwissenschaften’ (from 2017)
Hanser eLibrary
Online access to about 150 titles published by Hanser Fachbuch Verlag. Subjects include mainly computer science, mechanical engineering and business. No access to the journals.
WISO eBooks
eBooks on business, management and other topics
getAbstract
A database containing abstracts of recent business literature in the fields of management, strategy, business, politics and innovation
ProQuest eBook Central
A selection of eBooks purchased for BFH
Pschyrembel Online
A medical specialist dictionary containing English translations
FH e-Ressourcen – E-Books
Collections of eBooks jointly licensed or bought by all universities of applied sciences
Springer Reference DE
A constantly updated collection of German-language reference works in psychology, humanities, social sciences, law, engineering, business and medicine
Reference works
Brockhaus, Duden, Encyclopedia Britannica, Le Grand Robert, etc.
Freely accessible eBooks
DOAB – Directory of Open Access Books
A search portal for peer-reviewed, open-access books from academic publishers
eJournals
Fee-based eJournals
You can only access the fee-based contents of eJournals from within the BFH network or externally via a VPN.
EZB Elektronische Zeitschriftenbibliothek
You can use the EZB to find out which journals have been licensed by the libraries of Bern University of Applied Sciences.
FH e-Ressourcen – Zeitschriften
An alphabetic list of open-access journals and journals licensed by the Consortium.
Springer Link
Online journals (abstracts, full texts) from Springer
Science Direct/Elsevier
Online journals (abstracts, full texts) from Elsevier
WISO Fachzeitschriften
eJournals about information technology, business and other topics
Individually licensed journals
JAMIA – online access to the Journal of American Medical Information Association
The official, peer-reviewed journal of the American Medical Information Association
SZP – Schweizer Zeitschriftenportal
A directory of print and electronic journals held in Swiss libraries.
Does not support direct searches for journal articles/studies.
Freely accessible journals
DOAJ - Directory of open access journals
Access to full-text articles from peer-reviewed, open-access journals; covers all subjects and many languages
OpenDOAR
The Directory of Open Access Repositories is a public collection of publications from many university document servers.
e-periodica
Free full-text access to digitised Swiss journals about science and culture (includes architecture and engineering)
Paperity
A new, interdisciplinary full-text database of articles from open-access journals
arXiv
A pre-print repository at Cornell University containing contributions in physics, mathematics, information technology, quantitative biology and statistics
Swiss national licences
The archives of the following publishing houses are available to the entire population of Switzerland:
- Cambridge University Press (articles published between 1770 and 2015)
- De Gruyter (articles published between 1826 and 2015)
- Oxford University Press (articles published between 1895 and 2015)
- Springer Nature (articles published between 1832 and 2012)
These archives contain all journals of the above publishing houses from the very first issue until 2015.
Content from 2016 will be available after an embargo of 2 (De Gruyter), 3 (Oxford University Press), 4 (Springer Nature) and 5 (Cambridge University Press) years, respectively.
The same rule will apply to later years.
Electronic specialist databases
The universities of applied sciences have jointly licensed specialist databases and other electronic resources for various subjects. You can access them from the BFH network or externally via a VPN (virtual private network).
Universities of applied sciences e-resources by subject and type (Swissuniversities)
BFH-licensed databases
e-norm (Schweizerische Normen-Vereinigung SNV)
Citations for 2.1 million standards, full-text access to tens of thousands of standards from the SN (INB/SWISSMEM), ISO, Electrosuisse and SIA.
Access from within the BFH network or via a VPN.
An additional login is required.
For information about logins for students and staff of the AHB and TI department, consult the Intranet.
If you enter the wrong password repeatedly, your database access will be locked.
It is automatically unlocked again after 5–10 minutes.
If you enter the wrong password repeatedly, your database access will be locked. It is automatically unlocked again after 5–10 minutes.
IEEE/IET Electronic Library (IEL)
A database licensed by the BFH Department of Engineering and Information Technology.
The IEL offers you full-text access to current literature (from the beginning to present day) in electronics, electrical engineering and computer sciences.
Techniques de l’ingénieur:
Industrial engineering
This database is the most important source of French-language information in the fields of engineering and science.
The university has licensed the ‘Industrial Engineering’ package, which includes content on logistics, conceptualisation and production, and industry management.
It also contains a multilingual specialist dictionary (French, English, German, Spanish).
Embase
Pharmacological and biomedical database
Freely accessible databases (medicine)
PubMed
Reference database for medicine and biomedicine with more than 28 million references. A free service of the National Library of Medicine (NLM, USA).
Access to MEDLINE (since 1966, with MESH), OLDMEDLINE (1949–1965, without MESH) and PubMedCentral.
Cochrane Kompakt
Selected reviews in the fields of public health, midwifery, nursing sciences, physiotherapy, urology and current issues
Search engines/platforms
BASE (Bielefeld Academic Search Engine)
A worldwide search engine for academic online documents. 60% of documents indexed in BASE are freely accessible in full (open access); the index comprises more than 100 million documents from over 5,000 sources.
Google Scholar
A special Google search engine for academic literature research.
It contains journal articles, papers, dissertations, theses, pre-prints and books from academic publishers, specialist publishers and universities either as full-text versions or references.
Google does not provide any information about the scope, selection criteria, currency and coverage of the materials.
duckduckgo
A search engine that claims not to store any personal details nor search queries.
Bachelor’s thesis
The book search provides access to abstracts of all students’ bachelor’s theses since 2012.
You can search the abstracts by key words or by divisions.
The archive contains abstracts of the works from 2006 to 2011.
Lean Library
With the browser extension "Lean Library" you can find the full text of the scientific literature available at the BFH. The following browsers are recommended: Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera or Edge. For Internet Explorer "Lean Library" is only available in a limited version.
Individual advice
Are you looking for information about a specific topic? Do you need help with your research? Would you like to find out about the (online) resources available in your subject area?
We’re here for you
We’re here for you!
Please get in touch and make an appointment for a 30-minute consultation.
You do not need an appointment for an introduction to the search platform swisscovery or the library itself.
Just drop by and report to the front desk.
If you need help with your research, please tell us your reason for contacting us and state the topic of your work in progress.
+ 41 32 321 64 62
Literature research
For information about literature research, please take the Moodle course ‘Literature Research BFH’:
To access the Moodle courses, you need to be logged into the BFH network or accessing it via a VPN.
To log in (click ‘Login with Switch edu-ID’), you need to use your BFH code and password. You do not need a registration key.
Reference management software can be used to store and organize bibliographic references and to export them from library catalogues and bibliographic databases.
Our team’s office hours
- Cornelia Zelger (management)
Monday to Thursday - Kathrine Winkler-Meylan
Monday, Thursday, Friday - Florence Jaquet
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday - Barbara Schaffner
Wednesday, Thursday morning - Gaia Renggli
Tuesday, Thursday afternoon