Borrowing + access to online resources
The HKB Media Library combines the holdings of four divisions: Design and Fine Arts, Conservation and Restoration, Research and the Y Institute.
The HKB Media Library is part of the BFH library and a member of the Swiss Library Service Platform SLSP/swisscovery. It is open to the public and a centre of learning and exchange for HKB students, lecturers and staff.
Mon–Fri
9am–5pm
Without BFH Card, access is only possible at the main entrance.
swisscovery is the national search platform of academic libraries in Switzerland.
In our short course you will learn ...
Information about swisscovery can be found at bfh.ch/slsp
If you have any questions, please contact bibliothek@bfh.ch
Contact us if you would like to have a short course on a different date or in English.
You can participate in the training, which takes place virtually via MS Teams, using the link above. Only your dial-in and registration data will be transmitted via MS Teams. Sound and image data will only be processed if you allow this in your settings (microphone, camera). The Bern University of Applied Sciences does not store any personal data that can be seen from the event; in particular, no recording is made. In addition, the BFH has chosen MS Teams, a program for which compliance with the standards required by data protection law is assured. The responsibility for the operation of the software lies with the provider. Details on the processing of personal data can be found in the provider's data protection information. By participating, you consent to the processing of your personal data.
The HKB Media Library combines the holdings of four divisions: Design and Fine Arts, Conservation and Restoration, Research and the Y Institute.
The physical media are generally freely accessible and can be borrowed (prerequisite: swisscovery account). They can be searched via swisscovery.bfh.ch.
Media can be returned outside opening hours via the return box. The return box is in front of the media library and is emptied daily at 9am. Borrowed media items that are dropped off later than 9am will only be registered as returned as of the following working day.
The electronic media or online resources are accessible to students and employees of the BFH in the BFH network, i.e. in the WLAN «bfh», or via VPN. For other visitors, they are available at the research stations in the library.
The collections of the BFH Library (books and ebooks, periodicals and ejournals, DVDs, etc.; except for the library of the Abegg Foundation) can be searched using swisscovery.bfh.ch.
The Swiss National Sound Archives is the sound archives of Switzerland and is responsible for safeguarding the sound heritage of our country. Founded in 1987 as a foundation under private law, it fulfils – in close cooperation with the Swiss National Library in Bern – part of the tasks laid down in the law on the National Library.
The National Sound Archives collects and catalogs sound documents, both in music and in spoken word, that have a relationship with the Swiss history and culture. For example: recordings of classical music, rock, jazz, folk music, audio books, stories, theatre plays, interviews, audio documents …
AATA Online 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 the Getty since 1983. AATA Online contains over 148,000 records and adds approximately 4,000 new records each year through regular updates.
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 wide range of high-quality full-text resources to support research in a broad spectrum of subject areas.
Subject areas include: arts, business and economics, communication, education, law, history, humanities, linguistics, management, marketing, mathematics, nursing, psychology, social sciences and social work, STEM.
List of electronic journals that are freely accessible according to the principles of Open Access.
This source for video and media art contains works from the beginnings of video art in the 1960s to the present day.
Applied arts, history of architecture and art, museology and conservation; bibliographical references from 2008 onwards. Successor product to BHA (Bibliography of the History of Art). Provider: ProQuest
JSTOR is a digital library of academic journals, books and primary sources. BFH offers access to several JSTOR sources. For a systematic search, please also consult BFH swisscovery.
Find over 25'000 texts and 200'000 images in what is probably the most comprehensive documentation of contemporary art history from 1973 to the present day and research all the topics and content that move current art events.
Single user licence on site in the media library.
Historical and current knowledge about materials and illustrations. Collections of the Gewerbemuseum Winterthur, the HSLU T&A and Design, the Sitterwerk, the ZHdK, ETHZ, ZHAW and HKB Bern.
Multidisciplinary database, contains:
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 2,337,000 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.
More than 500'000 images of works in the museum's collection have been digitised in high resolution; 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.
‘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.
E-Periodica is the platform for Swiss journals online and is a service of the ETH Library. Subjects range from the natural sciences through architecture, mathematics, history, geography, art and culture to the environment and social policies. At E-Periodica you'll find freely accessible journals from the 18th century through to the present.
The Swiss National Library is a co-operating partner of E-Periodica and also provides digitised journals from its collection on E-Periodica.
Swissdox is managed by SMD Schweizer Mediendatenbank. It is a media archive as well as a press database. Swissdox contains Swiss daily and weekly newspapers, magazines and journals, press agencies, online media as well as newspapers that are no longer published from 1780 until today.
Newspapers and magazines worldwide, including several Swiss publications, as well as company information and press photographs. Alerts are not possible.
The HKB Media Library collects the diploma theses of HKB students.
Projects in the field of Conservation and Restoration are integrated into the holdings of the HKB Media Library. BFH swisscovery lists them under their title and author’s name.
Projects completed in the Division of Design and Fine Arts are collected in the Media Library. They can only be viewed on site.
The HKB Media Library owns around 100 valuable, rare publications.
Their classmark is RARA. They are not available for loan. Rarities can only be used for reference on site or borrowed for short-term use in internal classes.
You can use BFH swisscovery to search our rarities.
The browser extension Lean Library leads you directly to electronic full-text content offered by your BFH library.
For best results, always activate the VPN.
Lean Library enables you to initiate a search on the swisscovery search platform from any website:
If you have any questions, contact us: bibliothek@bfh.ch
The Moodle course BFH Literature Search gives BFH students an introduction to researching scientific literature.
You can decide based on various criteria whether or not you should use a resource when preparing your research paper. The following checklist provides a basis for decision making:
Depending on the type of publication, you can choose the appropriate search tool:
Always look for the “search@BFH” button. It often leads directly to the text you are searching for.
Install LeanLibrary, a browser extension, to support your research.
Activate your BFH VPN, even when using Google or Google scholar, for ex., as this can in some cases lead directly to the full-text.
Journal articles can be found primarily in bibliographic subject databases. You will often find direct access to full-text PDFs here as well. Depending on the database, the design of the download buttons or links can vary greatly: «Full Text», «PDF», «Read», etc.
Sometimes the DOI or «digital object identifier» directs to the full-text.
Also pay attention to the «search@bfh.ch» button, as this can also direct to full-text.
In some bibliographic databases you will find neither full-text access nor PDFs, only citations for the articles you need. In this case, go to the swisscovery search platform.
Search in swisscovery using the title of the journal instead of the title of the article. Then use «Tweak your results», go to the heading «Resource Type» and choose «Journals».
If the electronic version of the journal is available, you will be directed to the journal full-text by clicking on the “Available Online” link and you can then find and download the article PDF. In some cases, you may need to enter a password again (“Passwords”).
If the journal is only available in print, you can copy or scan the article at the library where it is located.
If the BFH Library does not have the journal you need in its collections, broaden your search to include all of swisscovery, i.e. all member libraries (drop-down menu next to the search box). You can often order the journal issue for loan.
Some swisscovery member libraries allow you to order copies or scans for a fee. Alternatively, use the service Orders for Copies of the University Library of Bern.
You need a journal article, but the BFH library doesn't have a licence? Send us as many details as possible about the article and we will deliver it to you: bibliothek@bfh.ch
Using reference management software you can
In the Moodle course Literature Management, BFH students and employees receive instructions and training dates for the reference management software Zotero.
Writing is not a question of talent. Writing is a question of practice. Especially when it comes to writing scientific texts.
In the Moodle course "Schreiben – écrire – writing" BFH students can find instruction in the art of academic writing and helpful suggestions for getting started with the writing process. The course is intended to introduce you to the topic and can later be used for reference purposes, as needed.
The HKB Media Library is part of the BFH library.