LibGuides: Finance & Management: CeFiMS

Distance Learners at SOAS

Online Distance Learners

Welcome to SOAS Library’s E-collection! Our collection can be searched on the online library catalogue.

How do I find library materials which are available to me online?

Once you have typed your keywords in the catalogue search box, you can narrow down the results by format on the left-hand side menu; select ebook and/or e-journal.

You can also browse for ebooks, ejournals, newspapers archives, financial data, etc., in individual databases. Take a look at our A-Z list of databases.

How do I access the library's electronic resources?

To access SOAS Library e-books, e-journals and (most) databases you will be asked to enter your username and password:

Username is your student number, six digits, e.g. 123456
Password is initially set as your date of birth in a specific format: dd-M (Please change this password if you haven’t already done so!)

If you are prompted to choose how to log in by your institution, select Shibboleth (not Open Athens, etc).

If you have any problems accessing e-materials, please clear your browser cache/cookies and try again using another browser. If the problems persist, please contact the E-resources librarian, Elie (electronic@soas.ac.uk)

How can I get my reading lists?

Your course leader would have put together your reading materials on Moodle. Occasionally, when you find links that do not take you to the reading, try searching for it in the online library catalogue. (Scroll down below for a video guide on dealing with broken links.) If you need any assistance, please contact your subject librarian.

The exception is reading material on Kortext. As these are not provided by the library, please contact your department.

How can I access Senate House Library’s e-resources?

To access Senate House Library’s collection, including e-resources off-site, register for (free) membership: Register | Senate House Library

To register, you will need your SOAS email address and Student Number. Once you submit your registration, you will receive your Senate House Library membership ID number by email, with which you can log in to access their ebooks and e-journals.

Senate House Library’s online catalogue

We recommend you to use both SOAS Library and Senate House Library. The libraries have different strengths in their collections and complement each other.

Can I visit SOAS Library and other UK Libraries?

If you are ever in London, we hope that you will come to use the physical library in Russell Square. To access the library building, you’ll need to gain a SOAS ID card at the security desk downstairs. Students usually do this by presenting an enrolment card, issued by the SID (Student Information Desk). This should have been stamped and signed off by the appropriate sections (fees, identification, etc.) Alternatively, we also accept emails from the Registry.

Please note that during exam period (May), the security at the entrance is stricter towards visitors. As a distance learner, you are entitled to come in, but be prepared to be asked questions. Tell them you need to have your SOAS ID card issued at the Security Desk. If you have any concerns, please email libenquiry@soas.ac.uk in advance.

Distance Learning students in the UK can apply for SCONUL access to other university libraries but will need to have a SOAS ID card.

The inter-library loan (ILL) service can only be made available to Distance Learning students who are able to come to SOAS library in person. But if you only need to refer to a chapter of a book, or an article in a journal, you may be able to have the material scanned and sent to your email. Try filling out the ILL form, and see what they say.

Can I access academic libraries near me (overseas)?

SOAS library does not have any agreements with other libraries overseas, and therefore cannot refer you to university libraries outside of the UK. However, you might find libraries near you which, like SOAS Library, are national research libraries and are open to external users (It is more likely if you live in the capital, like Oslo). It is worth checking their website for more information and contacting them.

Broken links

Have you ever clicked on your reading list and got a page that said 'System Offline'? That's the old catalogue. Please use this video to find your reading material on the correct catalogue.

TIP: A common mistake is to copy and paste the whole bibliographical info from the reading list. You're not likely to get any results in the catalogue that way. The system does not handle characters such as ( ) , . : " / - well. Instead, try just the title, and if you get too many results, add the author's last name. No punctuation needed, like this:

Some of your readings will be a chapter of a book. For best results search by the book title, though you might be able to find the material by chapter title.

From your Moodle reading list page, you can tell which links are the old ones, by placing your cursor over the link button. On the bottom left corner of your screen, it will tell you what the link is.