Connect Google Scholar to WOU for full text access

Rule #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

Rule #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.
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 search form

New library system is live

It’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.

Searching 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:

It includes content from some of the research databases WOU subscribes to (such as Academic Search Premier), but not all of them. Therefore, to search a specific database or for an exhaustive database search, you should still use Hamersly Library’s Recommended Databases By Subject.
It includes books that WOU and other Summit libraries own, but to get books outside of Summit you must use Worldcat and request them through Interlibrary Loan. Click here to learn more about Primo, how to control your search, and how to get access to material outside of Primo.

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]

Academic Excellence Showcase online schedule is up

The annual, campus-wide Academic Excellence Showcase is coming up on Thursday, May 29. Use the online schedule to help you navigate this busy day.

With the online schedule you can:

Browse all campus presentations or jump to a specific department
Search for a particular presenter by name or keyword
Plan your day by downloading individual session information to a Google Calendar
Share and promote sessions electronically via email, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media

Stream videos for class or fun with ‘Films on Demand’

Watch online streaming videos about everything from biographies of famous musicians to the history of unions in the U.S. to tips for writing fiction from famous writers (and much more!) for free. Use the videos in Films on Demand for class, to learn something new, or just to satisfy your curiosity.

Films On Demand is almost like the library’s version of YouTube, except it’s all legal and appropriate for use in class assignments!

[wpspoiler name=”More about Films on Demand” ]

The vast Films on Demand archive currently includes more than 6,100 complete titles and 63,000 shorter video segments. You can browse by subject, such as Health & Medicine, World Languages, Nursing, Criminal Justice & Law, or Archival Films & Newsreels, under the ‘Collections’ menu option. Or you can simply search for videos using keywords.

Happy watching!

[/wpspoiler]

How to find textbooks

Check out our Textbooks Guide for options to buy and borrow textbooks for your classes this term.

Hamersly Library closed the entire week of Christmas

Along with the rest of campus, Hamersly Library will be closed one full week of Winter Break. Since you might be doing research, ordering materials for Winter Term, or needing to check out some books and videos to relax with, here are some tips to plan your library use:

Our calendar provides a complete look at our winter break hours and the resumption of normal hours with Winter Term.

1) Due dates: Any items that would normally come due during the closure (from local collection or borrowed from Summit or Interlibrary Loan), the due dates are pushed back to Dec 30, the first day the campus reopens.

2). Borrowing Summit or Interlibrary Loan materials. Plan ahead to accommodate delivery before our closure–better the books are in your hands for the 10 days than laying in a cold warehouse awaiting our reopening. Want a single deadline for all remote-item ordering?: Thur. Dec. 12.
If you want to spread the deadlines out a bit and still (probably) get your items before we close:

Order physical items from Interlibrary Loan (WorldCat items) by Thur. Dec. 12. (these average a week to arrive & vary by our distance from the loaning library).
Order items from Summit by Friday, Dec. 13 (These usually take 2-3 days for delivery, and we get our shipment late in the day. You’ll want the item to arrive by Thursday’s shipment.
Order journal articles that are not held in our physical or electronic collections by Monday, Dec. 16

3). You’ll have continued access to all electronic resources, including ebooks through the catalog, the databases (including streaming multimedia content from Films on Demand, Theater in Video, and Classical Music Library) and electronic journal access.

4). You are welcome to continue requesting items (from local collection or from Summit or Interlibrary Loan, certain OnDemand articles, and Scan & Deliver materials) and services during the closure through the standard channels. The staff will process the requests once campus reopens on Dec 30. Do remember, though, that staffing might be scarce both at Hamersly and at partner libraries during the whole holiday season, and that can slow response times.

Happy end of term, and Happy Holidays!

photo credit: epSos.de (Photographer). (2012). Glowing Christmas Tree Lights in the Winter Night. [Digital Image]. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/epsos/8259481490/