Searching Hartness

A library website is a gateway to dozens of interconnected indexes and databases that house materials the library has purchased access to. Search engines like Google look through websites and Web-based indexes; they may produce results faster or seem to produce more relevant results, but the sources may not be academically appropriate or freely available to read. The library’s discovery search tool locates materials housed at the Hartness Library (books, DVDs), the other Vermont State College libraries, and materials in research databases (eBooks, magazine and journal subscriptions, videos).

That doesn’t mean sources from libraries are always appropriate to use or that websites shouldn’t be included in academic research. College libraries subscribe to popular magazines and purchase books that represent a wide range of opinion or evidence on academic topics. And there are plenty of Web-based research institutions and government document repositories that are the best place to find current scientific research and statistics. Regardless of where you find information, you always need to Evaluate Sources to verify that the information is authoritative, accurate, and up-to-date.

Unlike a Google Search, library search tools search across materials that have been cataloged by the library. That means they have been organized and categorized using standard subject headings.
The library’s discovery search looks through titles, authors, abstracts, summaries, and subject headings for most of the materials in the library’s collection. Using too many words, words that combine too many concepts, or using full sentences produces poor results. Learn more about Keywords & Search Strategies to improve your results and save time. You can also Contact a Librarian for the best search words for any topic – librarians are human search engines and experts at search strategy.

Once you have conducted a search, use the Refine Results menu and sorting options to find exactly what you’re looking for.

Learn more about accessing specific types of sources by using the instructions listed in the rest of the library’s Find Menu.

In your search results, you will see a PDF and/or HTML icon when the full article is readily available. Sometimes you’ll have to click on a link that says View Full Text to see if the full article is available through our extended network of library databases.

If it isn’t available, you’ll be connected to information to request a free copy of the article or you can Contact a Librarian if you get a database error or have problems finding the article you need. Learn more about finding articles in library databases.

If you want to link to eBooks, eBook chapters, articles, or videos in library databases, use the special permalink or bookmark URL that the database provides for you. Learn more about Linking to Sources.

The option to add an item to a folder can be used if you opt to set up a personal MyEBSCO account, but that is not necessary to view or download materials.

Most library databases offer tools that generate some form of preformatted citation; citations are machine-generated so you need to proofread them for accuracy.

You can find additional Citation Tools to help you cite sources. Librarians can help you identify different sources types or track down links to sources, but do not offer proofreading services or writing help.

Though you will find some newspaper content in your search results, the full New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Burlington Free Press and other Vermont newspapers are not included. To search our complete newspaper collection, however, we recommend searching our newspaper databases directly.

You can also see a full list of Newspaper Databases to explore additional newspaper content.

Certain databases don’t offer the ability to include them in the search results. Others provide content that is so unique or specialized that including it in a general search isn’t necessary. Results and materials from these databases aren’t included in results from the library homepage:

While there are some Web-based sources (government documents, reports, media files, etc…) that appear in your search results from the library homepage, most of the materials in these results aren’t coming from the open Web. To find websites that have been reviewed by librarians, use the Subject Guides. You can also find these by using the Find Information by Subject tab on the library homepage.