Databases

Through Lib4RI, you have access to a large number of databases. You can filter the list by topic or alphabetically and find a brief description of each of the databases.

More databases

  • DBIS (Datenbank-Infosystem) provides information on more than 9000 scientific databases, 3300 of which are freely accessible. Databases can be searched by keyword, research area, geographic area and type of database. This service is only available in German

FAQs

database-faqs
  • There is a number of issues you could encounter. Please try the following solutions:

    Please contact us via @email, or call the library at 058 765 5700 if you encounter any problem with the access to databases.

  • Licensing agreements with electronic service providers restrict access to electronic resources, for which the library Lib4RI pays a subscription fee, to current members of Eawag, Empa, WSL and PSI. However, most licensing agreements permit visitors as so-called “walk-in users” on-site access to our electronic resources on publicly accessible library computers.

  • Access to licensed electronic resources (such as databases, e-journals or e-books) are governed by the conditions of use contained in licence agreements between the library Lib4RI and the respective publishers. These licences vary but have some common elements.

    You are generally not allowed to:

    • systematically download from an e-resource, e.g. all articles from one issue of a journal, or an entire e-book. Publishers may monitor use levels of electronic resources and suspend access to this resource in the entire network of the institution if large amounts of information are downloaded in a short time period.
    • share downloaded material with third parties (unauthorised users, i.e. anyone who is not a member of Eawag, Empa, PSI or WSL). Third party use is also uploading licensed content or data to external platforms, specifically ChatGPT or other AI platforms, where storage and future use are controlled by third parties.
    • use e-resources for commercial gain (i.e. reselling, redistributing or republishing licensed content).

    If you are planning to use licensed electronic resources for a text data mining or an AI project, please contact us at @email and we will help you clarify the conditions.

     

    Restrictions on using electronic resources from AIP

    From AIP, the American Institute of Physics, we got a longer list of Terms of Use (which is, at least more liberal and allows for instance, the delivery to a colleague).