The Library offers a variety of specialized databases, reference works and other online resources such as E-journals and E-books.
Online resources offerings include free-access resources (including Open Access) and licensed resources. The free-access resources are identified as such.
Licensed resources are accessible for students and employees of the Bern University of Applied Sciences in the BFH network (WiFi "bfh" and/or VPN). Some online resource providers also offer access via Shibboleth or Switch edu-ID. A few online resources do require an additional password (BFH-internal).
Most online resources can be accessed by other library visitors using research stations in the sub-libraries.
Free-access online resources (including Open Access) are available to all, independent of location or connection via the BFH.
Here you will find the most important online resources by discipline or departmental library. If you want an overview of the entire list of online resources offered by the BFH, please consult our A-Z list. E-books and E-journals can be found using the swisscovery search platform.
If you have problems with access, consult our FAQ.
Do you need a journal article, but the BFH Library doesn’t have a licence for it? Send us as many details about the article as possible and we’ll get it for you: bibliothek@bfh.ch
archinform
Free access – International architecture database with information on more than 84,000 buildings and plans by important architects.
Bauinventar Stadt Bern
Free access – City of Bern Building Inventory and Neighbourhood Inventories of the City of Bern’s Heritage Conservation Department
Digibern
Free access – The University Library of Bern’s collection includes digital texts on the history and culture of the city and canton of Bern, as well as geographical maps.
Holzbaukultur
Free access – This platform of Bern University of Applied Sciences documents Swiss timber buildings spanning over six centuries and explores the culture of timber construction.
Informationsdienst-Holz
Free access – The website of the Informationsverein Holz e.V., based in Düsseldorf, provides information on the world’s oldest, most advanced and most natural building material.
More E-books can be found via swisscovery.bfh.ch.
More reference works
Free access – Abstracts of International Conservation Literature (AATA) is a free research database containing abstracts of literature related to the preservation and conservation of material cultural heritage. It has been managed and published by Getty since 1983.
Free access – BCIN, the Bibliographic Database of the Conservation Information Network, is the web's most complete bibliographic resource for the conservation, preservation and restoration of cultural property.
The multidisciplinary database DACH Information offers a collection of German-language journals, magazines and professional publications in full text. Subject areas include: art, business and economics, communication, education, law, history, humanities, linguistics, management, marketing, mathematics, nursing, psychology, social sciences and social work.
Free access – a directory of quality-checked Open Access journals
Applied art, architectural and art history, museum studies and conservation; bibliographic references from 2008 onward. IBA is the successor of BHA (Bibliography of the History of Art).
Free access – The pre-2008 BHA (Bibliography of the History of Art) references are not included in IBA. They can be searched in this database. In addition to the BHA database from 1990 to 2007, the database also contains data from the Répertoire International de la Littérature de l'Art (RILA) from 1975 to 1989.
JSTOR is a digital library of academic journals, books, and primary sources. The BFH offers access to several JSTOR resource collections.
Find more than 25,000 texts and 200,000 images in what is probably the most comprehensive documentation of contemporary art history from 1973 to the present and search specifically for all topics and contents that move current art events
Single user licence on site in the HKB Media Library.
Multidispiplinary database; contains references to articles from journals, books, conference proceedings etc. in the fields of arts, humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, medicine and technology. Web of Science also offers various abstract and citation indices:
‘Lost Art’ is the official German database for the documentation of cultural objects seized during the Nazi dictatorship. It contains cultural objects that were displaced or confiscated as a result of organised looting efforts by the Nazis, especially from Jewish owners.
A governmental online portal about artworks plundered by the NS regime. Contains general information as well as information about provenance research.
Database for visual and applied arts, design and architecture. Includes the databases Wilson Art Full-Text and Art Index Retrospective as well as 750 journals in full-text, references and abstracts from renowned international journals (USA, UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Holland), 220 e-books and 63'000 images.
Collections of images from museums, private collectors, photographic agencies, photographers of architecture, etc. for use in research and teaching.
The Deutsche Fotothek in the SLUB Dresden is one of the most important image archives in Europe with a collection of around seven million photographs and an online offering of currently around two million image media. Its aim is to preserve and activate important examples of analog and digital photography through online presentation, exhibitions and publications.
In the image archive of the ETH library more than 500'000 images are available for free download, 100'000 of these images are in the public domain and can be used without restrictions. The collection includes photos of Swiss history of science and technology, the archives of Swissair and the Fotostiftung Schweiz as well as the Baugeschichtliche Archiv of the city of Zurich.
The Foto Marburg image archive, founded in 1913 by art historian Richard Hamann, belongs to Philipps University of Marburg and is the German Documentation Centre for Art History. It is one of the largest image archives on European art and architecture.
heidICON is the digital and interdisciplinary object and multimedia repository of Heidelberg University Library. It contains images, video and audio data as well as other multimedia material for research and teaching.
More than 500'000 images of works in the museum's collection have been digitised; 200'000 of these images are available in the Rijksmuseum Studio and can be freely adapted.
As part of the Google Art Project this museum has digitised in high resolution approximately 40'000 images of works of art in the public domain, which can be used and adapted by the public.
Selected Bachelor’s and Master’s theses are published in the Edition Soziothek and can be downloaded for free.
Electronic media and other online resources offered by the BFH Library are accessible to BFH students and staff on the BFH network, within Wi-fi «bfh» and/or with VPN. Most online resources are available to other library visitors at the research stations in the sub-libraries.
On the websites of your subject library you will find the most important databases for the respective subject area. Further databases, reference works etc. can be found in this list.
On some BFH campuses you will need to activate VPN, even when using “bfh” Wi-Fi, in order to access online resources (e-books, online periodicals, research databases, etc.).
Outside of the BFH campus, that is to say the BFH-network area, students and employees of the Bern University for Applied Sciences can access online resources by setting up a VPN. Some online resource providers also offer access via Shibboleth or SWITCH eduID.
In case of difficulties using remote access via VPN, please follow this checklist:
All employees and students of the Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH) have automatic free access to BFH online resources such as E-books, E-journals, databases, etc. via the BFH Network (sometimes requires additional activation of BFH VPN). We make an effort to avoid licensing products that require you to create a personal account to gain access.
All BFH students and employees can also install the BFH VPN for use when accessing online resources from off campus. You need to use your BFH-login for this purpose. The VPN allows you to conduct searches within the anonymous environment of the institutional network.
We recommend that you only register a personal account on the website of a publisher or database provider if it is absolutely necessary – for example to activate functions such as alerts or the ability to save searches. If you register an account, for example on a publisher website, you are making a direct agreement with them. Inform yourself about what will happen with your personal data. Fill in only the required fields in online forms.
Please pay attention to and obey all Conditions for Use stipulated by publishers/providers of online resources. These general principles apply:
Violations of Conditions for Use can lead to the denial of access to full-text publications by the publisher/provider in the future.
The publishers/providers of online resources may use usage data containing information about the identity of users for the purpose of operating and improving the service.
If the online resource (E-journal, database, etc.) requires you to enter a password, consult the password list provided by your library.
Passwords should never be given to third parties. Consult the IT Information page.
