How do I access ebooks and ejournals in NELSON?

To have full access to NELSON (Northampton Electronic Library Search Online) and the ebooks and ejournals that it hosts, you must be a student or staff member of the University of Northampton. NELSON offers you access to a huge range of online materials and allows you to search for print materials too.

Logging into NELSON 

You should log in to NELSON whenever you use it, as you will see more results if you are logged in. If you need any help logging in, we have a guide available for you and there is a video explaining how to log in on the front page NELSON too. 

Basic searching 

You can use the menu on the search bar to differentiate between ‘Everything’, ‘Books and more’ and ‘Journal articles and book chapters’. This is also an ‘Advanced Search’ menu, which gives you more search options. The menu bar at the top of the front page also has lots of search, find and other options. You will only see full-text articles when logged into NELSON. Video instructions can be found here. 

Off campus access 

Most databases and their contents are available off campus. Provided you have logged into NELSON with your University login, your login details will automatically be transferred to any databases that require a login, without having to log in again. However, this will not necessarily work outside of the United Kingdom.  Again, please contact us if you are having trouble.

Occasional database log in requests 

If a database asks you to log in again, look for a link indicating either Institutional or Shibboleth login. Follow the link, and from the UK Higher Education list select University of Northampton (IDP).  

Partnership students 

If you are a University of Northampton student studying at another location, either in the UK or anywhere else in the world, we have a useful guide about resources and support for your learning. 

Still need help? 

We have another guide about finding ebooks in NELSON. We are happy to help with any problems that you are having with NELSON and there are lots of ways you can contact us, any time of the day or night:

• email at libraryhelp@northampton.ac.uk
• our Chat service by clicking on the blue speech bubble at the bottom right of every page
• speaking with a member of library staff at the Library Help Desk, located on the second floor of the Learning Hub during staffed hours
• ask us a question using our 'Submit a Question' form
• call us on 01604 89 3089 

Please include details of the problem you are having, your student or staff ID and your name. We will get back to you as soon as we can.