Hekman Library has nearly one million books split almost evenly between physical print volumes and ebooks.
Distance seminary students have access to all of Hekman Library's digital resources. It is best to always start your research through the library's website to ensure that you have proper access by using your seminary library credentials.
Residential seminary students can borrow anything from Hekman's physical collection using their Seminary student ID card (except for items from a few special collections, such as Reference and Rare Books). Borrow up to 75 books at a time, for a check out period of 6 weeks, but remember to return those items on time! You will receive an email from the library when your items are due soon, as a reminder, but remember that you can also log in to your library account any time to check your due dates and renew items. Most books can be renewed multiple times, unless they have been requested by another patron.
For more info and policies, see the library's Borrowing page.
It is best to start your search for ebooks through the Hekman Library catalog. There you can use the limit options to change type and form to "book" and "online." This filters your results to show only ebooks. Though most of our ebooks are in our catalog we are always gaining access to resources, so we've listed several key collections, such as the Atla Ebook Lending Program, listed below that you will want to consult as well,
The Atla E-Book Lending Program is a collection of theological ebooks users can borrow like a print book. Unlike many ebook platforms, Atla ELP ebooks are limited to one user at a time. Before searching the collection, make sure to login in the upper righthand corner. Select Calvin University from the dropdown menu if you are a university student or faculty, and login using your full email address and Calvin passphrase. Select Calvin Seminary if you are a seminary student or faculty, and login using your entire library card number as both the login and password.
Ministry Matters offers practical inspiration for preachers, teachers, and worship leaders. It includes thousands of original articles and blogs, unique book reviews, and weekly worship and preaching helps. In addition, there are full text commentaries for student research such as The New Interpreter's Bible and Abingdon Old and New Testament Commentaries.
This research resource will be of primary interest to seminary students.
NOTE: We have the capability for only 10 simultaneous users. If you are turned away you may have to wait a few minutes until a spot opens up.
Ebook Central is a multi-subject ebook platform with over 100,000 ebooks. This platform lets you read online, check out ebooks for download, and copy or print sections of the ebook.
The majority of ebooks offer access to unlimited simultaneous users. A small number of commentaries are limited to 1-user or 3-users at a time, so you may need to wait and try access later. Some ebooks limit the number of pages you can download, copy, or print. These numbers are unique to individual users and reset after 24 hours have passed.
ProQuest Ebook Central includes the Academic Complete collection and is a good place to start if you are looking for ebooks on any topic. You may also want to try eBook Academic Collection if you can't find what you're looking for.
Even if Hekman Library doesn't own a particular book or article that you need, you can borrow or get a copy from another library through our MeL and ILL sharing services. Just use the links below to search outside of Hekman's holdings and make requests - if you have any questions or problems, the librarians are always available to help!