Just Find it! Libraries unveil online search tool

On Aug. 22, University Libraries launched “Find it!” — an online search engine that allows users to search up to 10 of the libraries’ databases at once.

Find it! training sessions

University Libraries will host Find it! training sessions from noon-1 p.m. Sept. 7, 14, 21 and 28 in the Arc Techno-logy Center on Level A of Olin Library. These sessions are open to the University community.

Now, rather than going through the process of searching one database after another, researchers are able to quickly access information from a variety of sources. This powerful tool makes navigating the vast amount of information available electronically much faster and easier, making crucial research more manageable for both novice and experienced researchers.

With Find it!, users can search preselected groups of databases or create their own sets of online resources. This service will be especially attractive to novice researchers, for whom accessing online resources can be a confusing process.

More experienced researchers will appreciate the ability to create their own sets of often-searched databases.

Find it! also allows users to customize their research by saving search results in the same place they search. And because Find it! provides access to a variety of databases at once, it is also useful to scholars doing cross-disciplinary research.

Find it! allows users to easily access the full text of many articles. Find it! searches across databases, including University Libraries’ catalog, to find the full-text version of an article; then the Get it! function of the search engine either links to the full text or tells users where they can locate it.

Users will find the link to Find it! at the top of the main menu on the Libraries’ home page (library.wustl.edu). They will need to know their University ID in order to create an account and save information in the search engine.

For help while using Find it!, researchers can go to the “Help” link located on every page within the search engine.

A set of frequently asked questions will soon be available on the site, and librarians are available to answer questions.

Find it! will undergo changes and improvements over the next several months as the libraries receive feedback from users and as upgrades occur.

For more information, contact Carol Antoniewicz at 935-5498 or library.webmaster@wumail.wustl.edu.