To obtain books which our library or Ohiolink do not own you must place Interlibrary loan requests online.  Please allow yourself plenty of time when placing an ILL request.

The K-Search unified discovery service allows you to quickly search, discover and access reliable and credible library content. It goes beyond next-generation catalogs to create an all-new service for libraries. Through one simple search, it provides instant access to the breadth of authoritative content that's the hallmark of great libraries — digital and print, audio and video, single articles and entire e-journals, and every format in between. Enter your terms in one search box, and quickly get credible results in one relevancy-ranked list.

1. Gather a list of useful words or terms from lecture notes and/or assigned readings to begin your research in the CONSORT/Ohiolink web catalog and online journal indexes. Books owned by other Consort libraries may be requested and will be sent here in 3-4 working days. If you cannot locate materials on your subject or all of the CONSORT copies are checked out, you should search the Ohiolink online card catalog for additional materials. Books, and some bound volumes of journals, may be requested from the Ohiolink catalog using your barcode on the back of your student ID.

2. Interlibrary Loan requests, for journal articles or books not in Consort or Ohiolink, may be filled out using our online form, if you need assistance filling out the form based on a citation you found or have a question about a journal abbreviation, etc. just stop by the information desk for assistance.  Everyone has to create an ILIAD account to submit an Interlibrary Loan requests.  Select a password which is easy to remember, but not the same as your network or email account (the password does not change every 6 months as our network accounts do at present).
   
   
3. Suggestion: Begin your research using simple WORD searches and take notes on the various subject headings listed for books which you find. If you prefer to use proper SUBJECT HEADING searches, consult the appropriate volume of the Library of Congress Subject Headings (a copy is available at the Information Desk).  Subject headings often carry over for use in journal indexes and so it is useful to keep a running list of terms you glean from databases and indexes.
   
   

4. example WORD search for books:

   dadaism

   dadaism history

   example SAMPLE SUBJECT HEADING search for books:

   Avant-garde (Aesthetics) -- History -- 20th century

5. If you are working on a topic which the library may own a documentary about it is possible to refine your searches further. From a general search page select the 'limit/sort' or 'modify search' button at the top of the search screen and then click on the relevant search option(s).  In most instances do not limit to only DVD format, instead you should select 'either' as this will locate DVD's and 1/2 inch VHS tapes. 

6.          example WORD search for books:
                        Andy Warhol
            example WORD search modified to locate either DVD or VHS
                        Andy Warhol

K-Search is the new database which combines many (but NOT all) of our electronic resources.  At this time K-Search does not include the Ohiolink catalog.  K-Search is similar to using Google Scholar.  The patron must create a search string which best describes their research focus.  If you create too broad a search string you will be will be overwhelmed by the number of citations the database will find.  A very narrow search string may frustrate the researcher.

If you find yourself intrigued by the availability of K-Search please feel free to use the database and consult with a librarian when you have a question.