Universities house an enormous amount of information and their libraries are often the center of it all. You don't have to be affiliated with any university to take advantage of some of what they have to offer. From digital archives, to religious studies, to national libraries, these university libraries from around the world have plenty of information for you.

Digital Libraries

Capturing images of manuscripts, art, and artifacts, digital libraries are an excellent way of both preserving the past and sharing it with everyone.

International Digital Libraries

These digital libraries either have a focus on a culture other than that of the United States or are housed in another country.

The Digital South Asia Library. Sponsored by University of Chicago, this library provides images, reference material, statistics, indexes, and more all focusing on South Asia. Cambridge University Library Digital Image Collections. Study ancient texts, photographs from the late 19th century through the mid 20th century, Pascal's Treatise on the Arithmetic Triangle, and more. Nagoya University Library. The manuscripts in these digital databases are in Japanese, as are most of the sites (with some English and French). Whether you know any Japanese or not, if you appreciate the beauty of ancient Japanese manuscripts, you can randomly click through these sites and find some beautiful images. university in Kyoto, Japan offers glimpses of art and manuscripts with descriptions of each in English.

Texts

These libraries offer books or texts for you to read online and free of charge.

Medical Libraries

These libraries offer medical information for both the professional and the lay person.

Legal Libraries

Whether you are studying the law or are just interested in it, these libraries have information for you.

National Libraries of Europe

The following libraries are both national libraries that offer a glimpse into the culture and history of the country they represent as well as hold affiliations with universities.

Religious Studies

From various types of Christianity to Judaism to Buddhism, these libraries offer an opportunity for religious research.

Specialized Selections

From maps to architectural images to information on deafness, these libraries offer a very specialized collection.

Academic Research

Whether you are researching Mark Twain or war in the 20th century, these libraries offer resources to help you.

HighWire Press. Hosted by Stanford University, this free repository holds journals and other academic articles available to the general public. Mark Twain Project. Co-sponsored by the University of California, you can find texts, documents, and research available online about the life and works of Mark Twain. Project Euclid. Sponsored by Cornell University, this site offers online resources for math and statistics. NARCIS. Hosted by Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, this database provides access to scientific papers based out of the Netherlands. The World of Dante. Study Dante's Inferno online courtesy of the University of Virginia. It has been tagged using SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language) to enhance the interface and study of this poem. Southwestern Writers Collection. Texas State University houses a huge collection of manuscripts and information on southwestern writers. Much of the information is available online in the archives. Peace and War in the 20th Century. From McMaster University Library in Ontario, this library provides records, case studies, a time line, and more focusing on war and peace around the world in the 20th century. Internet Public Library. Founded by University of Michigan School of Information and hosted by Drexel University's College of Information Science & Technology, this incredibly comprehensive library has plenty to offer.

American Universities

These American university libraries have plenty to offer to anyone who takes the time to explore what is available.

International Universities

Travel around the world from your computer and learn what these international university libraries have to offer.