On Wednesday, June 24th, the University Libraries’ website received an updated look because our consortium migrated to a new library system and discovery tool. We are working hard to develop educational materials for faculty, staff, and students, including this HuskieSearch Help Guide. However, any time a system migration of this size and nature occurs, there are bugs to work out. Not everything is working perfectly, but we are feverishly working to restore functionality and ease of use. Therefore, this guide may be frequently updated to reflect changes as they occur. Your patience is greatly appreciated.
With HuskieSearch you can:
HuskieSearch allows you to search multiple library collections simultaneously, but what kinds of resources can you find with each of these options?
Everything: Search NIU collections, articles and thousands of online resources
Articles & More: Find electronic resources like articles, eBooks, dissertations, videos, etc. from ProQuest databases
I-Share Libraries: Find and order books and more from 90+ academic libraries in Illinois.
Library Catalog: Search books, eBooks, DVD’s, CD’s and more at NIU
Course Reserves: Search print materials placed on reserve for your class.
E-Books: Search for ebooks at NIU
WorldCat: Search and order library materials from around the world.
Graphic is has been adapted from an image originally created by SUNY Geneseo.
Articles & More: Allows patrons to search for articles for journals and newspapers, conference proceedings, web resources, reports, and videos
Citation Linker / Fetch Item: Permits patrons to find a specific journal article, journal or book by entering known citation information
Database: A searchable electronic collection of records, offering citations, abstracts, and sometimes full-text documents; these can be multidisciplinary (i.e. JSTOR or Academic Search Complete) or subject-specific (i.e. PsycINFO or Dance in Video)
Facet: Used to filter results in patron searches (e.g. filtering by resource type, author/creator, genre, etc.)
Find It: Helps patrons find out how/where to access an item—whether it is available in an NIU database or through Interlibrary Loan (formerly SFX@NIU)
Get-It-Now: Information delivery service that allows patrons to access some articles on-demand, within eight hours of the request
Journal Search: Allows patrons to search for a journal by its title Loans Items checked out to a patron, whether those materials are from NIU or another I-Share Library
Location: Where the item is stored or shelved (e.g. Graphic Novels or Main Collection)
My Favorites: Listing of saved records, searches, or history; it can be accessed by clicking on the “My Favorites button.” Patrons must be signed in to save or access saved records, searches, or histories
My Library Account: Provides information on loans, requests, fines, and blocks, as well as personal details, such as the patron email address and expiration date of library credentials
NIUILLIAD/WorldCat: Interlibrary loan of materials outside of I-Share
Requests: Items patrons have requested from NIU or another I-Share Library that have not yet been checked out to the patron
Query: All words or phrase entered in order to find materials (e.g. “autism spectrum disorder,” “Dickens, Charles,” or “children AND adolescents”) are a search query Search Scope Defines where the system should search (e.g. the NIU Library Catalog, Course Reserves, All I-Share Libraries, etc.)
Similar Items: Creates a search based on the author of the item from the previous search
Subject Guides: Webpages with detailed information and links to resources on a particular topic or field of study; these are created and curated by subject specialist librarians