The University of Pennsylvania is a private institution and its libraries are private libraries, maintained to support the teaching and research mission of the University. Use of the Libraries' electronic resources is generally restricted to currently enrolled students, faculty, and staff in order to comply with license agreements for educational use and to ensure access to limited resources.

Visitors to the library are invited to use the Library's online catalog and resources that have unrestricted access.

Databases and Selected Reference Sources (e.g. MEDLINE, Britannica Online, ISI Citation Indexes) are licensed only for the use of faculty, staff, and currently enrolled students.

In order to sign on to a database Penn faculty, staff, and students must have a valid PennKey with the correct authorization. If you are not able to sign on to a restricted database, contact your library's circulation desk or call Van Pelt Circulation, 215-898-7566.