Mount Hood

Streamlined Summit Requesting

Summit logoYou may remember that last summer, Hamersly Library migrated to a new system, Primo. Our library was part of the third cohort of the Orbis Cascade Alliance’s shared library system project. Now that the final cohort has migrated, we are now ready roll out an enhancement to the Summit requesting process.

Currently the Primo link “Request item (about 5 days)” moves you to another system, summit.worldcat.org, to handle the request. Even when you’ve signed in on Primo, you have to authenticate again on the requesting server.
Starting next Tuesday, Jan. 20, Primo will handle requesting as well as discovery. Fewer authentication prompts for you, and Primo’s My Account area will display the status of your requests alongside your loans, saved queries, and e-Shelf collections.

What do you need to do? 

Probably nothing except to enjoy the better process. Hooray! Just a few things to consider:

Do you have links in Moodle, browser bookmarks, citation management software, etc. to records on the summit.worldcat.org server? (or to our old catalog server, library.wou.edu?). They will need to be changed to link to the Primo server. (See Get the URL for a Primo record.)

Likewise, if you have linksto the general search page summit.worldcat.org, change to the new search URL:

https://alliance-wou.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?vid=01ALLIANCE_WOU:WOU

While the Summit group within WorldCat is going away, WorldCat in the larger sense remains a valid resource to discover and request items that are beyond the holdings of the Summit libraries, through Interlibrary Loan.  Please continue to find the link to WorldCat in the bottom right corner of the Primo Search box on the library’s main page.worldcat

You can learn more about the system, see video tutorials and screenshots, and share comments and questions at our Primo Guide.

Connect Google Scholar to WOU for full text access

Google ScholarRule #1 of using Google Scholar to do research for your class assignments: never pay for an article. Rule #2 of using Google Scholar to do research for your class assignments: never, ever pay for an article!

In many cases, links to full text scholarly articles (like the kind that Google Scholar finds) are through subscription sources. The library pays for subscriptions to many of these sources already so that you, as a WOU student, can access them for free. But Google Scholar doesn’t know you’re a WOU student, and so it will often ask you to pay for the full text of the article results it provides.

That is, unless you tell Google Scholar you are a WOU student! You do this by changing your “Library links” settings in Google Scholar. Want to see how to change these settings? Watch this short video.

Once you change this setting, Google will recognize you as a WOU student and will show you “Find It @ WOU” links with your results. Get more info & tips for searching Google Scholar here.

Important tips for researching with Google Scholar

Google ScholarRule #1 of using Google Scholar to do research for your class assignments: never pay for an article.

Rule #2 of using Google Scholar to do research for your class assignments: never, ever pay for an article!

In many cases, links to full text scholarly articles (like the kind that Google Scholar finds) are through subscription sources. The library pays for subscriptions to many of these sources already so that you, as a WOU student, can access them for free. But Google Scholar doesn’t know you’re a WOU student,and so it will often ask you to pay for the full text of the article results it provides.

That is, unless you tell Google Scholar you are a WOU student! You do this by changing your “Library links” settings in Google Scholar. google scholar settings

Once you change this setting, Google will recognize you as a WOU student – provided you are signed into your Google account when you search (e.g. by signing into the Portal or into your email). Want to see how to change these settings? Watch this short video.

If you’re signed in and have set your “Library links” to connect to WOU databases, Google Scholar will show you the “Find It @ WOU” link with your results. This link will give you access to the full text of the scholarly article if possible, or it will tell you how to request the article you want through the library. Either way, you don’t have to pay for it!google scholar find it at wou

More tips for using Google Scholar:

  • Google Scholar doesn’t have everything. You will find the most results in science and technology and the least results in the humanities. If you are searching for a topic in the humanities, try searching in a database specific to your subject.
  • Find a good article on your topic? Google Scholar gives you a list of other articles that have cited the article you are looking at. So if you find a good article, this will help you find more just like it. Look for the “Cited by” link to use this feature.google scholar cited by
  • Try to only use first initials when searching for author names. Many articles only include the first initial of the author.
  • Google Scholar casts a wide net when searching, which often means you initially get an overwhelming number of results and will need to make your search more specific. Using the “advanced search” feature is the easiest way to narrow your results. The advanced search form will pop up if you click on the arrow on the right end of the Google Scholar search box. From there, you can fill in more search information.

google scholar advanced searchgoogle scholar advanced search form

New library system is live

Primo logoIt’s here! Our new library system is now up and running. The biggest change for you, as a library user, will likely be the new online search interface called Primo, which you will use to locate library materials within Hamersly Library and at our Summit partner libraries.

Find Primo at the top of the library homepage and try it out. If you find any bugs or have questions, please let us know, and know that we will be working in the weeks to come to smooth out the bumps that inevitably come with a large-scale project like this one.

Speaking of which…here are a few things to keep in mind as you begin to use the new catalog in these early days: [wpspoiler name=”More about new library system” ]

  • For quick answers to the most commonly asked questions about the new system (such as, why did the library make this change?, what is this thing called Primo?, what about my favorite database, has it changed?) take a look at our FAQ. We are continuing to add to this as we encounter new questions and issues.
  • WorldCat, Primo, and Research databases are elements of a complete searchSearching in Primo can get you different types of results depending on the options you choose. However, even though there is a lot of material searchable in Primo, it does not include everything. Here are a couple examples:
  • Once you do an initial search in Primo and are on the results page, look to the upper-right corner for the sign-in link. We strongly encourage you to sign in as it helps you get better results and is the only way you can order books through Summit. A couple more things about the sign-in that you should know for now:
    • Once you click on the link to sign in, you will be taken to page where you can sign in with your WOU Pawprint ID and password.
    • The first time you sign in, you will be prompted to “Personalize Your Results.” In addition to selecting one or more subject areas of interest, you can indicate your “Degree,” which is simply a way of asking what part of the WOU community you belong to (student, staff member, etc.) If you are a member of faculty, the best option on the menu at this point is “Researcher.” Selecting these options will provide better search result relevance rankings for you. You can also skip this personalization, however, and/or change your settings later.

We appreciate your patience during this transition and are committed to maintaining library services at the level that you expect and require. As always, please feel free to let us know if you have any thoughts, questions, or concerns about the new system. [/wpspoiler]

Welcome to Primo

What is Primo?

Primo logoPrimo is the new library search tool used to find items in Hamersly Library and our partner Summit libraries, as well as some articles and other electronic resources.

Primo scopes allow you to define where your search is performed. You can select a scope in the drop-down menu right of the search box, or by selecting your desired scope under the search box on the main library home page.[wpspoiler name=”More about Primo” ]

Primo's three search scopes for WOUWhat is included in each scope?

WOU: Books, e-books, audio-visual recordings, maps, scores, microforms, government documents, special collections, journals, magazines, and newspapers available on-site at Hamersly Library.

WOU and Summit: Everything in the WOU list above, plus the holdings of academic libraries in the Pacific Northwest.

WOU, Summit, and Articles, etc.: Everything in the WOU and Summit lists above, as well as some full-text articles. This scope finds search terms in the full-article content.

WorldCat, Primo, and Research databases are elements of a complete searchPrimo is one part of your complete search

Primo does not include all the content from the research databases to which WOU subscribes. For discipline-specific searching, use Hamersly Library’s Recommended Databases By Subject.

To search beyond the holdings of Summit libraries, use Worldcat. You can request materials from libraries around the world through Interlibrary Loan (ILL).

Questions or Comments?

We’re happy to hear from you at our Primo feedback form.[/wpspoiler]

 

New library system coming in June

For the first time in over two decades, the library is transitioning to a new library management system. This system handles important library functions like circulation, ordering, and cataloging physical materials, as well as the many electronic materials that we own or license, such as databases, ebooks, and ejournals.

Primo logoThe system also includes Primo, the online search interface that you will use to locate library materials within Hamersly Library and at our Summit partner libraries. The new system is shared among the 37 academic libraries in the Orbis Cascade Alliance, the consortium behind the Summit borrowing system.

Why are we switching? [wpspoiler name=”More about new library system” ]The simplest answer is that we are required to as a member of the Alliance. The deeper answer is that the core technology we currently use has been appended and stretched to accommodate new needs over the last 22 years, and it’s now restricting our ability to serve library patrons’ evolving needs. The benefits of the switch include:

  • updated technology that supports more efficient library operations;
  • collaborative purchasing of library collections among Alliance members;
  • lower software maintenance costs;
  • more efficient Summit borrowing;
  • enhanced search and discovery of library resources;
  • collaborative workflows between libraries;
  • shared preservation initiatives.

The library staff is currently in the thick of migration activities, and we expect to switch over to the new system June 23. Prior to and during Fall term, we will have tutorials and workshops to assist you in learning the conventions of the new interface. In the meantime, I encourage you to take a look at our Primo FAQ for more information; we’ll be adding to and updating the FAQ over the summer.

This is a large scale project, and there will be bumps in the road. We and our colleagues at other libraries are working hard at smoothing the path and will be doing so for some time. We need and appreciate your patience. Our top priority through the transition will be to maintain library services at the level that you expect and require. Please communicate with us if you have questions, concerns or issues as we move through this transition.[/wpspoiler]

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EdITLib Digital Library

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Biography Reference Center

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