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Library Search User Guide

Instructions for using BGSU's new library search.

Results Lists
Personalize

Note: personalize is available via the toggle at the top of your search results, not in the filter menu.

This option allows you to prioritize article results from specific disciplines, so that they are ranked higher in your results list. It’s especially helpful if your topic is difficult to capture in search keywords. If you are signed in, Library Search will remember your choices. 

Personalize is most effective for journal articles, because they are reliably categorized by discipline.

Sort By

Library Search displays your results in order of “relevance.”  Use “sort by” to change the order of your results to chronological (date-newest or date-oldest) or alphabetical (by author or by title). 

NOTE:  This is a 'sticky' filter and needs to be manually reset once adjusted.  

How Filters Work

Use filters in Library Search to narrow your search results. Filters are dynamic and only available with some searches.

Apply a filter with one click

  • Select the filter name to apply it in one click.

Apply multiple filters

  • Use the checkboxes next to the filter names to select multiple filters at once. You must select “Apply filters” at the bottom of the screen to finalize your selections.

Exclude a filter

  • Use the checkboxes after a filter name to exclude it from your results.

Lock your filters

  • After applying filters, you have the option to “lock” them individually or as a group. Locked filters will remain in place when you run a new search. 
  • Note: locked filters will persist in a new tab, and sometimes remain in place across browser sessions.

Relationships between filters

OR

  • if you use the checkboxes to apply multiple filters within a category, you will see items from your original results that match any one of the applied filters for that category (OR relationship). 

AND

NOT

Show only:

Available online
Limits to articles and books fully accessible online.

Peer-reviewed articles
Limits to articles from journals designated as "peer reviewed" in Ulrichsweb: Global Serials Directory.

Physical Items
Items owned and inventoried in a BGSU library collection. 
 

Note: Library Search searches only some full text.

Library Search searches item descriptions, also known as the item’s metadata, such as author, title, abstract, and subjects. 

Library Search can also sometimes search within the full text. You can use the “search full text” toggle on the left side to choose whether to search within available full text.

Resource type:
 

Archival Materials

Includes various archival research and materials, including correspondence, legal documents, personal papers, photographs, books, and audio cassettes).

Articles

Research papers and essays published in peer-reviewed journals.

Book Chapters

A standalone chapter or section of a book that has its own title and focuses on a particular subtopic or theme.  Includes peer-reviewed works.

Books

Physical (print. audio or microform) or electronic (eBooks) text that is monographic in nature.

Collections

A collection of physical materials (various formats), including administrative records for a committee, organization or company; personal or family papers; and press kits for motion pictures.

Conference Proceedings

A published collection of papers, abstracts, or reports from a conference, symposium or academic meeting; Physical or electronic.

Databases

A searchable organized collection of information available electronically, often containing articles or books, covering a particular subject area.

Datasets

Structured collections of related data organized for analysis or processing, often presented in tables, arrays, or specific formats.   Electronic.

Dissertations/Theses

A long essay or research paper on a particular subject, written by a candidate as a requirement for an academic program, typically for a Masters or Doctor or Philosophy (PhD) degree. Physical or electronic.

Images

Figures published within journal articles; Posters; Picture cards. Physical or electronic

Journals/Magazines

Primo defines - “used for printed, electronic, manuscript, and microform textual material that is issued in parts with a recurring pattern of publication (e.g., periodicals, newspapers, yearbooks)”

Kits

A grouping of materials used as a teaching aid for a particular topic or skill.  These include take home packs.  Materials include books, display boards, stamps, cards, props, CDs, and DVDs.  Physical.

Magazine Articles

Articles from popular, non-academic magazines.

Manuscripts

Includes project reports and market surveys. Physical (fiche) and Electronic.

Maps

Includes atlases, sheet maps, and globes; Physical and electronic.

Market Research

Reports on a particular consumer group or product market. Electronic.

Newsletter Articles

Information from bulletins published by members of a society, organization or business.  Electronic only.

Newspapers

A publication containing news, features, and opinion articles, and advertisements. Physical or Electronic.

Other

Materials that do not fit in other resource type categories. These include computer disks; games; indices; film reels; streaming BGSU choral concerts (Avalon); online audio files; locally produced items (faculty salary book)

Preprints

A preliminary version of scientific manuscripts shared prior to peer review and publication in an academic journal. (ArXiv.org; working papers)

Primary Sources

Primo defines: “Provides first-hand testimony or direct evidence concerning a topic under investigation. It contains the actual textual materials that is the subject of research.”  Electronic only.

Realia

Material from everyday life, often used as teaching aids.  Includes puppets; board games; manipulatives; science specimens; models; musical instruments.  Physical only.

Reference Entries

Descriptions or brief articles in reference works such as handbooks, encyclopedias, and dictionaries.

Reports

Includes reports published in government documents and academic journals, as well as items such as business case studies and technical standards.

Retracted Publications

Papers once published in academic journals but have been removed from the journal because the publications contain flawed or erroneous data.

Review Articles

Presents the current state of the research on a particular topic or research area via the review of primary research on that specific topic;

Reviews

Limits to records that identify themselves as book reviews.

Scores

Musical scores are written representations of musical compositions.  Physical and electronic.

Sound Recordings

Includes recorded music, spoken word, and other sounds in various formats, such as CDs, vinyl records, and online streaming.

Text Resources

Includes text transcripts from broadcast television and radio shows.  Also includes BGSU Master's Theses. 

Videos

Video recordings, both physical DVDs and electronic. 

Web Resources

Contains a mix of content from blogs, podcasts, or websites, including from Instablog, Newstex, National Public Radio, and the Wall Street Journal.  Electronic only.