LibGuides: Polar Studies: Home

What on this guide?

On this guide, you'll find:

Information about resources, both print and online, that you have access to in Cambridge
Details of the collections held in the Scott Polar Research Institute which also include the Polar Museum, Thomas H Manning Archives and Picture Library
How to recommend a book
Details of other libraries that might be relevant to your study or research
Information on referencing, getting started with research, and all the support available to you here in Cambridge

Locating print collections

Polar Library collections are reference-only, so items cannot be borrowed. Recommended lending libraries across the University are:

University Library

Department of Geography Library

Betty and Gordon Moore Library

The Libraries Directory lists all libraries across the University of Cambridge.

The following libraries may also hold collections relevant to your research:

Whipple Library for the Department of History and Philosophy of Science

Royal Commonweatlh Society Library at the UL

British Antarctic Survey Library

Selected online resources

Arctic & Antarctic Regions Arctic & Antarctic Regions is the world’s largest collection of international polar databases. With over 1 million records from 1800 to the present, Arctic & Antarctic Regions covers a wide variety of sources from multiple disciplines. Many sources are indexed only in Arctic & Antarctic Regions making it the best resource for research on cold regions anywhere, from temperate regions with cold winters to the Himalayas of Tibet.
Web of Science The Web of Science (citation indexes) is a multidisciplinary database, with searchable author abstracts, covering the journal literature of the sciences, social sciences and arts. It indexes major journals in these disciplines. Because the information stored about each article includes the article's cited reference list (often called its bibliography), you can also search the databases for articles that cite a known author or work. The search interface at this web site provides access to Science Citation Index,Social Sciences Citation Index and Arts & Humanities Citation Index
Scopus Scopus is a navigation tool covering the world's largest collection of abstracts, references and indexes of scientific, technical and medical (STM) literature as well as the research literature of the social sciences and humanities. Seamless links to full-text articles and other library resources make Scopus quick, easy and comprehensive. Compatible with IE8 or higher, Google Chrome and Firefox browsers
GeoRef This database, established by the American Geological Institute (AGI) in 1966, provides access to the geoscience literature of the world. GeoRef is the most comprehensive AGI database in the geosciences and continues to grow by more than 100,000 references a year. The database contains over 3 million references to geoscience journal articles, books, maps, conference papers, reports and theses.

Open Polar OPEN POLAR covers publications and research data in cross-disciplinary sciences and will focus on Polar Regions. Very few search engines consider the research data as a target for their services. The service provides quick access to open publications and research data by providing links to full text for each record. The service relies on continuous recommendations from reference and editorial boards. The reference board will help ensure that the service meets the needs of the scientific community, while the editorial board will suggest new metadata providers and broadcast the service internationally. OPEN POLAR is a joint project between the University of Tromsø – the Arctic University of Norway and the Norwegian Polar Institute. The University Library (UB) hosts the project.

Find more links to useful electronic databases, resource portals and news sites in the Polar resources online tab!

All of the links listed below open in new windows.

Arctic Today ArcticToday is an independent digital news site, with comprehensive reporting on the Arctic, from the Arctic.
ADA database ADA is a digital educational service that provides access to scientific research publications, research projects derived from license and permit information, K–12 educational resources, data management resources for researchers, virtual exhibits, and the Arctic Institute of North America’s online archives and special collections.
Arctic Portal The Arctic Portal includes a Library which aims to maintain a comprehensive collection of Arctic relevant scientific and educational material. There are several portlets for information on specific Arctic-related topics.
Atiku The Northern and Arctic Studies Portal 'Atiku' is an interuniversity collaboration which features international documents for research on the North and the Arctic, presented in 3 thematic collections and 6 collections by types of documents.
COLD Database The COLD Database is comprised of the USPA Permafrost Alert Program (2011 - Present), the Bibliography on Cold Regions Science and Technology (1900-2011) and the Antarctic Bibliography (1950-2011).
Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) SCAR aims to be a portal to data repositories of Antarctic scientific data and information.

e-resources blog
News, advice and updates on new journal and databases content for University of Cambridge users.
e-books blog
Updates and news on new ebooks and ebook platforms for University of Cambridge users