Got Questions? The Alumni Library Has Answers.

If you aren’t using the Alumni Library, you’re missing out on one of the most valuable benefits of membership in the Alumni Association. Find out how logging in can give you access to a treasure trove of knowledge, including tools that can enlighten, inform, enrich, and entertain you—or even provide information you can use to astound your coworkers and delight your boss!

How to Use the Alumni Library Benefit

Being a member of the Penn State Alumni Association won’t make you omniscient…but when you tap into the vast resources of the Alumni Library, it may seem pretty close.

Many useful resources in the Alumni Library, a partnership between University Libraries and the Alumni Association, are available to all visitors, whether or not they are members of the Association. But since 2006, the library has offered Alumni Association members online access to 25 premium databases, nearly 100 digitized collections, and thousands of additional resources, full of more scholarly and well-researched information than Internet search engines typically return.

Most of these premium databases normally require a fee or aren’t available to the public, but Alumni Association members can access them simply by logging in with their last name and Alumni Association membership number. (Association members can find their membership number in the footer of the most recent AlumnInsider email.)

The following video offers quick overview of logging into the Alumni Library and access its resources.

Premium resources available to members of the Alumni Association include: 

• Adam Matthew Digital Penn State Portal
  This collection of primary sources from archives around the world covers topics in the humanities and social sciences, including cultural studies, ethnic studies, gender and sexuality, history, literature, politics, theatre, war and conflict, and more.
• US Newsstream (formerly ProQuest National Newspapers)
  Search the full text of current content from top U.S. newspapers, wire services, broadcast transcripts, blogs, and news sites, as well as archives dating to the 1980s. Outlets include The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Newsday, and Chicago Tribune, among many other national and regional sources.
• CQ Press Library
  The definitive reference resource for research in American government, politics, history, public policy, and current affairs, CQ Press Library includes subject-specific reference databases on Congress, the Supreme Court, Public Affairs, and Voting and Elections, as well as US Political Stats, an interactive tool for data on US politics. It also offers online editions reference including the CQ Press Encyclopedia of American Government.
• Mergent Intellect
  Powerful search functionality makes this directory database an invaluable tool, with information about more than 100 million private U.S., Canadian and global businesses, more than 6,000 U.S. public companies, and over 200 million residents and local businesses.
• Morningstar Investment Research Center
  Get independent data and analysis on stocks, mutual funds, and exchange-traded products, and filter investment options based on specific criteria. You can also increase your knowledge with more than 100 virtual educational courses on topics like understanding companies, funds, bonds, and building a portfolio.
• Ebsco's Academic Search
  This comprehensive scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text database contains more than 5,300 full-text periodicals, including 4,400 peer-reviewed journals, as well as indexing and abstracts for more than 9,300 journals and a total of 10,900 publications going back as far as 1865.

In addition to these and many other premium databases, the Alumni Library also provides a variety of digitized University collections, including La Vie and Daily Collegian archives, as well as collections of authoritative and useful resources on topics including genealogy, health, legal matters, science and technology, and more—all vetted by Penn State librarians.

Best of all, if the array of resources available through the Alumni Library seems overwhelming, the "Ask A Librarian" tab located on the right-hand side of the screen connects you via online chat with highly skilled librarians who can help you locate information you’re looking for.

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