Welcome! "Religion" is a large umbrella, under which countless belief systems reside. This guide is meant to identify main ports of entry for the general study of worldwide religions and beliefs; the study of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, and religions/belief systems in the Caribbean, as well as religions traditionally associated with Asia (e.g., India, Pakistan, Japan, Tibet, etc.) - Hinduism, Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, Shintōism, and Taoism/Daoism.
For specialized research in the above-mentioned religions, Native American or African traditional religions, and additional religions and belief systems (e.g., cargo cults, wicca, sikhism, zoroastrianism, etc.), contact a reference librarian.
There are a variety of ways to get help remotely from the Howe Library reference librarians. Please ask us! Use the "Ask a Librarian" service.
Ask A Librarian connects you with librarians in a variety of different ways
Email: howeref@uvm.edu
Chat
Note: If you see a message that says "chat unavailable" during chat "open hours," try refreshing your browser. It may be that two librarians are switching off with one another.
Schedule a Synchronous Virtual Research Consultation
Text: (802) 503-1703
Before you begin searching for books and articles, use the sources (encyclopedias, handbooks, etc.) listed in the "Starting Points" pages. They will:
Call Numbers that are prefaced with REF (e.g., REF BL 31 .M4813 2006) indicate that the book is in the Reference Collection, located on the main/1st floor of Howe Library. Books in the reference collection are non-circulating, but you may scan pages for free in the library.
Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
Found a citation to a book or journal article that you need, but isn't owned by the library? Obtain the item through Interlibrary Loan.
Interlibrary Loan's (ILL) service for UVM affiliates will obtain materials (books, articles, book chapters) not owned by the UVM Libraries, from other libraries and document delivery sources. This service is free for UVM students, faculty, and staff. An article is delivered electronically and usually arrives within a few days. Book requests are generally filled within a week.
If you are making a request for the first time, you will need to register for the service before making a request. View this brief video for instructions on how to register.
Document Delivery (materials owned by UVM Libraries)
UVM students may request scans of articles and book chapters from materials available in Howe Library regular print and microform collections. ILL staff will scan articles or book chapters and deliver them as a PDF to a user's Interlibrary Loan (ILL) portal. There is no fee. Copyright law applies. View this brief video on how to make a request.
Requests for ILL and Document Delivery may be placed online. Log in to your ILL portal using your UVM netid and e-mail password.
If you are making a request for the first time, you will need to register for the service before making a request. View this brief video for instructions on how to register.
Find more details and a link to the ILL and document delivery request forms. There is also a link ("ILL/DD" green button) on the Library homepage.
Working Off Campus?
Use your UVM NetID and password to log in to the UVM network through EZproxy before you begin your research, to access the UVM Libraries' licensed electronic resources, such as article databases, electronic journals, e-books, and more.
Once you're logged in look for "ezproxy.uvm.edu" in the URL of the web page (e.g., http://library.uvm.edu.ezproxy.uvm.edu/) to ensure that you are connected to the UVM network.
NOTE: 
after a database name indicates a licensed library database, restricted to UVM affiliates.