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Online Resources
Online Resources
Main Online Resource Areas
Catalog of titles held at the Asher Library. Circulation privileges are restricted to Spertus students and members.
A collection of databases which provide article citations, full-text articles, and eBooks.
A collection of Jewish Studies databases which give full-text access to scholarly journals and an array of classic Jewish texts.
Films that explore the Jewish experience are now available to Spertus students, faculty, and members through Kanopy, an online film streaming service. Some favorite films now available include The Women’s Balcony, Menashe, Sturgeon Queens, and Kabbalah Me.
You will be asked to log in the first time you use Kanopy on any device, thereafter you'll only be asked to login again infrequently. To see available films, click on the magnifying glass icon in the search box at the top of the page. Use the Sort by: Most Popular drop-down menu to get an alphabetical list or a list with most recent films first. New titles are being added on a regular basis.
Made possible by a generous gift from Howard Zar for outreach and support for the broader Jewish community.
eBooks
Find ebooks in the Asher Library catalog by searching for “Collection” EBOOK
You can browse the resulting list to select a title or click on the word "Modify" (under the gray menu bar) to add an author name or keyword to narrow down the results. To read a pdf version of the book online, click on the words “Click here to view” either in the results list or in the book’s catalog record. You will be asked for your Spertus Library account ID and password before being taken to the ebook.
To download an ebook to your computer or mobile device you must locate the book inEBSCOhost or eBook Library(see below.)
EBSCOhost offers access to over 5,000 ebooks on a wide variety of topics, including titles specially purchased by Spertus and shown in our Library catalog. After clicking on EBSCOhost and providing your Spertus username and password, you will be on the EBSCOhost welcome page. Click on the line “Click here to view and download ebooks” next to the EBSCOhost logo. On the EBSCOhost eBook landing page, you can search for a book by a keyword or author name. If you click on “View all” in Highlights, you will get a list of all available ebooks, with the Spertus holdings at the top of the list. Once you have selected an ebook, you can choose to read it online or you can Download it to your device. To Download, you will first be asked log into your My EBSCOhost account. (You may already be using a My EBSCOhost account to save your journal articles.)
Instructions for creating a My EBSCOhost account >
You may want to download the EBSCO eBooks app (available on Google Play or iTunes) to your device for more convenient ebook access.
More information on the eBooks app >
eBook Library *
You can find still more ebookson a variety of topic at eBook Library. Once you have logged in using your Spertus username and password, select Spertus from the drop-down list of institutions. Type keywords or author names in the search box to find ebooks of interest. These can be read online or downloaded to your device. (Look for the vertical Download tab.) We are adding the most relevant titles to the Asher Library catalog for ease of location.
* These resources are available to Spertus students, faculty, and members only.
Please email resources@spertus.edu if you have forgotten your login information.
Additional Resources
Interlibrary Loan
Can't find what you need in our collection? Students, faculty, and members may request an interlibrary loan.
OCLC FirstSearch*
A collection of databases for searching worldwide library holdings, articles, and citations.
Sefaria
A free living library of Jewish texts and their interconnections, in Hebrew and in translation.
Encyclopaedia Judaica*
An upgraded edition of the classic Jewish resource.
RAMBI
Index of Articles on Jewish Studies from the Jewish National and University Library.
The Sentinel
Digitized issues of the Chicago Jewish weekly (1911-1949) now available on the Historical Jewish Press site.
The Sentinel Presents 100 Years of Chicago Jewry (1948)
Digitized special edition of the Sentinel from 1948 [PDF].
The Chicago Jewish Community Blue Book (1918)
Digitized directory of organizations, their officers and membership, published in 1918 by The Sentinel Publishing Co. [Internet Archive].
HebrewBooks
This site currently provides access to more than 15,000 seforim, which are searchable by author, title and keyword