Get Help Online!

Need help, Falcons? Library staff are here to help, online!

Contact Library Services

If you have questions about visiting/studying at the library, borrowing books and other items, or using course reserves, contact Library Services via email or live chat.

Contact the Reference Desk

If you need assistance with research for classes or projects, have questions about databases and online resources, or need help with citations, please contact the virtual Reference Desk via email, chat, and text (781.728.0511). Reference librarians are also available for research consultations via Zoom.

Databases and Online Resources

Whether you are near or far, the library website—library.bentley.edu—is your portal to accessing online library services and resources. Even when the library’s doors are closed you can still use our digital book and audiobook collections (including OverDrive), databases, and streaming films.

For more information about navigating our online services and resources check out the Getting Started @ the Bentley Library — Online! guide. Please contact the Reference Desk if you need any help accessing or using the library ‘s online resources.

Fall 2020 Library Opening: Know Before You Go!

Welcome back, Falcons! The library will provide services and resources online during the first week of classes. Our doors will open to the Bentley community on Tuesday, September 8.  Below are important things to know about the library’s operations this fall trimester. For more detailed information, FAQs, and to check for updates, visit the Back to the Bentley Library guide.

Key Opening Dates

For detailed hours information, including virtual Reference Desk hours, view the library hours calendar.

Monday, August 31 –
Friday, September 4
Online services and resources only
Saturday, September 5 –
Monday, September 7
Labor Day holiday: All online help services closed
Tuesday, September 8Library building opens

Visiting the Bentley Library (starting Tuesday, September 8)

  • The library is operating in accordance with state and university COVID-19 public health guidelines. All library users and staff are required to wear face coverings, maintain 6 feet physical distance, and practice hand hygiene. Please perform your daily health self-check and stay home if you have any symptoms of COVID-19.
  • The library is instituting card swipe access this trimester. All Bentley students, faculty and staff will need to swipe a current Bentley ID at the main entrance to enter the building.
  • Building occupancy will be limited and monitored. Due to the occupancy limits, we ask that you please be courteous to others and mindful of your time in the library. Do not leave any personal belongings in the building, as you may not be able to re-enter to get them if we are at capacity.
  • Disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer are available throughout the library. Please wipe down any shared surfaces before and after you use them.
  • Food is prohibited in the library until further notice.

Study Rooms and Spaces

  • The library’s study rooms are subject to reduced capacity and physical distancing guidelines. Many study rooms are limited to single occupancy; some of the larger rooms accommodate two people. Please check the occupancy sign posted on each room. Study rooms are available on a first come, first served basis. Reservations are not available.
  • Furniture has been removed and rearranged to ensure proper physical distancing. In areas where furniture has not been reconfigured (e.g. study rooms), signage will clearly indicate the allowable occupancy.
  • Face coverings are required in all library spaces at all times, including in study rooms, study carrels and pods, and at study tables.

Borrowing Library Materials and Using Course Reserves

  • The library’s stacks are open and you may browse without restrictions while maintaining proper physical distance.
  • To minimize face-to-face interactions, we request that you use the library’s self-check machine to check out your items.
  • Please return your library items in the book return drop, located at the main entrance.
  • Returned items will be quarantined for a period of 3 days before being re-shelved or checked out to anyone else. The exception to this policy is Course Reserves, which circulate in-house for short periods of time. In order to ensure that all students have timely access to Reserves materials, they will not be quarantined. We remind you to wash your hands before and after using all library materials.

Online Resources and Research Help

Whether you are near or far, the library website—library.bentley.edu—is your portal to accessing online library services and resources.

  • Your Bentley email address and password grant you remote access to most library databases and electronic resources.
  • Research assistance will be provided online throughout the trimester. Reference Librarians are available to help via live chat, email (refdesk@bentley.edu), and text (781.728.0511). You can also book an appointment for a research consultation via Zoom. Virtual Reference Desk hours and contact information are posted on the Research Help page.
  • Librarians have created research guides for popular topics and specific classes such as GB112 and GB214. The guides are a great help in getting started when doing research for projects and papers.
  • The library provides free subscriptions to The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the Financial Times online. Visit the Current News guide for registration details.

See more details about remote library services and resources at Getting Starting @ the Bentley Library – Online!

Computers & Printers

Computers and printers (color and B&W) are available for you to use if you need one. To install the Bentley print drivers on your laptop, visit the Falcon Printing website. You will also find information about printing funds and costs on that site.

Get Updates

Don’t forget to follow @BentleyLibrary on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for updates, news, events, and photos.

We look forward to seeing you—whether in person or online—this trimester! If you have questions, please reach out to us. We are here to help.

Try Something New! Checkout our Cookbooks

Ready to try something new on your menu? We have got you covered with an online display of cookbooks for you to devour.

Try a new or spice up an old recipe. Pair one with a movie for date night or dinner with the family. Learn a little about other regions, countries or cultures by experiencing different cuisines. Recipes of all types are represented from the traditional to the exotic.

Download the free OverDrive app on your device to view the titles, or borrow them directly from the OverDrive Downloadable Books database and choose the OverDrive Read format to view them in a web browser.

In addition, the Library’s physical collection of cookbooks is now available with Contactless Pick-up. Did you know you can virtually browse the physical collection online?

  1. Search for a title in our library’s catalog.
  2. On the results page, click on the title to view the full record (See below).
  3. In the Items area, click on the hyperlinked Call No. to launch the virtual Browse. (See above image).

By checking out this content, we hope you are inspired to create something great.

Need help with Overdrive or with accessing our physical collection? Please contact us for assistance. We are happy to help.

Library Director's Statement on Racism and Violence

The Bentley Library supports the Black Lives Matter movement. We stand in solidarity with Black students, faculty, staff and Provost Donna Maria Blancero in condemning all acts of racial discrimination and violence against Black, Indigenous and People of Color.

We have witnessed in horror the violent, unjust and inhumane acts of racism in our communities for too long. For those of us who lived during the Civil Rights Movement, we fought and hoped that the Civil Rights Act of 1964* would end discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. We thought that this Act would put an end to police brutality and murder of Black, Indigenous and People of Color. But it has not. There is so much work to be done to create real and sustained change. 

Today, we hear the cries for justice over the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless Black Americans who have died at the hands of police. In the face of a world on fire, libraries all over the country have responded by providing a safe and welcoming space for civic discourse. The Bentley Library is dedicated to broadening the understanding of racial injustice through the acquisition and access of racial justice resources. We promise to invite the expression of BIPOC voices into the library through collaborative programs and discussions. 

The Bentley Library stands with the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, and the Boston Library Consortium Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Community of Practice, to support and develop programming that create inclusive and diverse library workplaces and initiatives. The Bentley Library will continue to work in close collaboration with Bentley Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Center, the Task Force on Racial Justice, Bentley student groups, and others to support the Black Lives Matter movement on our campus.

We are here and we are listening. Let’s continue the conversation.

Hope Houston
Bentley Library Director

*The Supreme Court ruled on June 15, 2020 that the LGBTQ community is a protected group under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Online Tutoring from the ESOL Center & Writing Center

Bentley University’s ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) Center and Writing Center are online for the summer! Both centers are now accepting appointments from all students enrolled in summer session classes. Use the links below to see details and book your online tutoring appointments.

The ESOL Center
appointments: https://bentleyesol.mywconline.net/

Looking for help with writing, presentations, pronunciation, and conversation enrichment? Bentley University students whose home language is not English are invited to take advantage of the free tutorial services offered by Bentley’s ESOL Center. Schedule your ESOL appointment online.

Summer 2020 Hours:
Monday: 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Wednesday: 4:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m


The Writing Center
appointments: https://bentley.mywconline.net/

Writing Center staff provide one-to-one assistance with writing skills at all stages of the writing process. Schedule your Writing Center appointment online.

Summer 2020 Hours:
Monday: 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Tuesday: 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Wednesday: 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Thursday: 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

New Faculty Publications

Did you know the Library collects and provides access to publications authored by Bentley Faculty? Scholars @ Bentley is our newest initiative for digital publications, but the Bentley Library’s Faculty Publication book collection has been around for years.

This spring we join the Valente Center in celebrating Bentley faculty who have published books during the past academic year! The following publications have been added to the Library’s Faculty Publications collection:

Available as an ebook through EBSCO eBook Collection:

Available as a digital audiobook through Overdrive:

  • How Language Began by Daniel Everett, also available in print in our collection, is now translated into many languages, including English, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese & Ukranian.

Available as an e-book through Amazon:

Print additions to the library’s physical collection:

The Faculty Publications Collection highlights the most current 10 years of books authored by Bentley Faculty. The physical collection is located in a special area next to the Reference Desk, making them more visible and available to the Bentley community.

Although we cannot currently access our book collection, each title is discoverable through our catalog and through Worldcat.org. The library also purchases some titles in e-book format. Search our catalog for the phrase “Bentley faculty publication” to view the list of online titles.

We congratulate our Faculty for all your hard work. We also encourage adding and promoting your research through Scholars @ Bentley


For Faculty with New Publications!

If you would like to include a citation for your book in Bentley’s institutional repository, Scholars @ Bentley, please email scholars@bentley.edu with a full citation and a link to where the book may be purchased (publisher website, Amazon, etc). If you have not yet submitted work to Scholars @ Bentley, you will need to fill out a one-time Contributor Agreement Form which you can submit online.

End of Semester News & Reminders

As we wrap up this unprecedented semester and prepare for finals, we wanted to share some library news and reminders with you before summer break.

Due dates and returns

Currently, the Bentley Library building remains closed. All due dates for borrowed materials have been extended until at least August 31. Login to your library account to check the status of your items. If you are near campus and would like to return your library materials you may deposit them in the book return at the main entrance. Please contact libraryservices@bentley.edu if you have questions.

Online access to research databases, e-books, streaming films and more

Your Bentley email address and password will continue to grant you remote access to most library databases and electronic resources – anytime, anywhere.

Looking to relax with some summer reading? You can download popular and bestselling books and audiobooks from OverDrive. Our collection usually has a shorter wait time than public libraries, and Bentley Library users now have access to OverDrive’s new “Libby” app. Take a look at OverDrive’s Getting Started resources for information and help.

Stay well-informed in these rapidly changing times with your personal online subscriptions to the Financial Times, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal. If you have questions about registering or renewing your accounts (NYT and WSJ subscriptions expire annually on their anniversary), please contact the Reference Desk.

Research assistance

If you need help with research for classes or projects over the summer, you can contact the Reference Desk via email, chat, and text. Librarians are also available for research consultations via Zoom.

Customized library research guides provide guided help with course projects, common topics, and popular subjects. Lastly, don’t forget to check our FAQs database.

Follow our news, tweets, photos, stories and posts

Follow us to keep up with what’s happening this summer and learn about any changes to expect when we’re back in the fall. Updates regarding hours and operations will be shared in this blog, on our website, on the Bentley Library Coronavirus Updates and Remote Resources page, and via our social media channels. We’re @BentleyLibrary on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Stay safe, stay healthy, and have a great summer break!

Museums Offer an Escape While We #StayHome.

It has now been five weeks since we have been told to “stay home” and we are sure you are all going just a bit stir crazy these days. Under normal circumstances, we would be looking to our cultural institutions to help us get out of our doldrums and explore without having to leave Massachusetts. We are lucky enough at Bentley Library to be able to offer access to world-class institutions throughout the state and being stuck at home has not changed that! Here is a look at what museums are doing to stay connected and stay vibrant in a virtual world:

Zoo New England has created #ZooToYou! You can tune in everyday at 1:30pm EST to Facebook live where they are presenting videos, activities, and more. You can also virtually “meet” the animals to learn more about their natural habitats and conservation efforts!

The Museum of Science has similarly created #MOSatHome where they have daily “Ask a Scientist” live stream events as well as “Science in Action” where they conduct live experiments. You can register for the free events ahead of time so you can add them to your calendar and receive a reminder of when they are about to start.

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum now has “The Gardner at Home” where they are blogging about their collections and offering virtual tours of their world famous courtyard and greenhouses. You can even watch or download music that has been performed in their newly renovated concert hall.

The Museum of Fine Arts has made a number of their collections available through “Google Arts & Culture” and made virtual tours of recent exhibits available on their site.  They have also started “Art for this Moment” where curators “share objects from across our collections that carry personal significance and global resonance.”

In addition to their award winning podcast, PEMcast, Peabody Essex Museum has pulled together all sorts of digital content. You’ll be able to read stories, listen to artist’s, and explore collections all from the safety of your living room.

If you are just craving some time spent outside, our newest partner, The Trustees of Reservations, have got you covered! There you will find wildlife cameras, activities to help you identify bird calls, a live sunset stream from The Fruitlands Museum, and even a virtual fire pit at 6:45pm EST every Friday!

Grand Teton National Park

Lastly, our National Parks are one of our greatest resources and they provide many opportunities to #FindYourVirtualPark! The National Park Foundation has virtual tours, activities for kids, live webcams, and incredible photography.

Even though it is easy to feel stuck right now, we hope these ideas inspire you to stay connected while we all #StayHome.