Study Abroad: Doing Research Abroad

Studying abroad is all about experiencing different cultures and trying new things.  It is in this spirit of discovery that we highly recommend you utilize the libraries at your disposal while you are abroad.  Additionally, if you are studying topics related to your host country, the libraries there may have more resources than we do. 

What if there is no library where you are studying, or you need to use one of our databases?  No problem!  As long as you have internet access, you will be able to access most of our electronic resources.  To start, first click Research Guides on the Library homepage.

• Start your research early!  Give yourself plenty of time to gather sources for your assignments.  

• Use Zotero to organize your sources and keep them accessible.

• The library has access to over 100,000 e-books through Ebook Central and ESBCO ebooks.  You can access e-books overseas, so take advantage of them!

• Limited internet access?  Most databases allow you to download articles to your computer in PDF format so you can view them later.  With ebooks, you can often download or print limited portions of e-books. See the EBSCO ebook guide for more information

• Use the document delivery system for electronic access to articles we own in print or microform format. The library can scan book chapters and other documents and e-mail them to you. 

Some students studying abroad exerience problems when trying to connect to Davidson resources.  Some things you can try to troubleshoot the problem:

• Clear the cache and delete cookies in your browser.  Don't know how to do this?  Google "clear cache" or "delete cookies" and the name of your browser.

• Try another internet browser, such as Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, or Safari

• If you are using wifi or computers at a school or library, there can be firewall issues when trying to connect to Davidson resources.  Try using the internet from another location such as an internet cafe or coffee shop to see if that fixes the problem.

If you are experiencing database connection problems, Ask a Librarian for help.  Please provide as much information as you can, including the name and version of your browser, the database you are trying to connect to, and any error messages you may be seeing.  If possible, take a screenshot.  

While abroad, you still have access to the Davidson College Library's Interlibrary Loan service.  

While studying abroad, we can electronically provide:

• articles
• chapters of books

We cannot provide:

• entire books

Questions?  Ask a Librarian!