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Access controlled by licenses

Access to most of IU Bloomington Libraries' electronic resources are governed by license agreements which restrict use to defined roles within the Indiana University Bloomington community (students, faculty, and staff) and to walk-in patrons of the libraries. Individual authentication for access is required as part of these license agreements.  

However, some of the IU Libraries’ resources are available to anyone, anywhere in the world.

Services for visitors depend on a variety of factors. 


For IU Alumni Association members

For Indiana residents

  • INSPIRE (http://inspire.in.gov) is a collection of commercial databases and other information resources that can be accessed by Indiana residents.  Using INSPIRE, you can find health information, look up newspaper articles, or search business news using popular databases such as MEDLINE, ERIC, and Academic Search Elite.  INSPIRE database funding is provided by the Indiana General Assembly.

Free resources open to all: A selection of digital collections unique to Indiana University


Library catalogs and databases

Below, find just a few freely-available library catalogs and databases that can be accessed through our Resources A-Z  list (all databases marked with a globe icon can be freely accessed by our alumni and friends).

  • Digital Public Library of America - A network of partners and collaborators bringing together library materials across the nation.
  • IUCAT - The Indiana University online catalog.
  • Monroe County Public Library Catalog - The catalog of the Monroe County Public Library, Bloomington, Indiana.
  • WorldCat - The world's largest network of library content and services.  Use its excellent search function to find a library near you that has the book you want. 
  • Library of Congress Catalogs - Access to the Library of Congress holdings
  • ERIC - ERIC indexes and abstracts materials in education and related fields, covering  over 1085 periodicals and nearly a half a million documents. 
  • FirstGov - The official U.S. government portal to 47 million pages of information on federal and state government programs, benefits, and services.
  • GPO Access - U.S. Federal Government website.
  • Index Translationum - Bibliographical information on books (from any period) translated and published in about 100 of UNESCO's member states since 1979.
  • LIBDEX - Links to libraries and library related information in the US and worldwide.
  • Official Document System of the United Nations (ODS) - A multilingual system that covers all types of official United Nations documentation, beginning in 1993.
  • PubMed - more than 27 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books from the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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