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Hertford College Library: Biology, Biochemistry and Chemistry

How the Library can help

Simpkin the cat, ready to helpHertford Library is currently offering remote services while the library is inaccessible.

Want to ask for help finding a specific resources or searching more generally?  

One-to-one support is available:

  • by email to library@hertford.ox.ac.uk 
  • through voice and video calls on Microsoft Teams/Zoom/Facebook
  • old fashioned phone (leave a message with your name and number on 01865 279409 and we'll get back to you)

Need a book and can't find it online?

We're buying access to new ebooks on request and, in some cases, can buy print books and have them delivered directly to you. We may also be able to arrange a scan of a specific chapter and postal loans of books from the Library. You can request these services using our online request form.

Have a reading list to share?

If you have a reading list for the coming term please share it with us. We'd love to know what you need so we can help you get it! Please send any lists to library@hertford.ox.ac.uk.

Online resources on SOLO

SOLO logoEbooks are being bought and added to SOLO daily.

To search exclusively for ebooks that are available to access from home, see our guide on limiting searches to accessible ebooks.

University members also have access to some other ebook sources that are not included in SOLO, details of these are listed below.

SOLO for Biology, Biochemistry and Chemistry

You can request new ebooks for purchase by filling in the Bodleian Libraries book request form or contacting Hertford Library on library@hertford.ox.ac.uk.

Temporary access to a number of online packages has been arranged by the Bodleian Libraries and individual book records are now in SOLO..

Access to Oxford Chemistry Primers via BibliU

Oxford Chemistry Primers can be accessed via Bibliu.com.

  1. Go to login on the homepage
  2. Use the login through your university option and choose University of Oxford
  3. Log in using your SSO

Primers in BibliU

Online databases for Biology, Biochemistry and Chemistry

Chemistry in Databases A-ZYou can browse for Oxford online database subscriptions on Databases A-Z, which has recommended databases for Biology, Chemistry and Medicine. These include primary sources like the Biodiversity Heritage Library and Reaxys, reference resources like the Oxford Research Encyclopedias and ChemSpider, and bibliographical databases.

Bibliographical databases allow you to search for resources on a specific subject across different formats such as books, book chapters, journal articles, conference proceedings, reports and theses. Examples of bibliographical databases include SCOPUS and the Web of Science.

Internet Archive

ThInternet Archive homepage screenshote Internet Archive has freely available online books that are out of copyright.  This means older editions of literary texts are often available there.

The Internet Archive has also made a number of 20th century academic books available to borrow through their Lending Library. To use this service you need to set up a free user account. These books are still in copyright so the authors may request that they are removed from the website.  If you find a useful resources in the Lending Library then use them quickly and take very detailed notes - you might not be able to access them again in a few weeks.

General links

Reference sources