FirstSearch: An Online Introduction
FirstSearch: An Online Introduction
Now What? Finding the Item
There are several ways to use a FirstSearch Record to locate the item:
1. Check your Library's catalog or Periodical List to see if your Library owns the item.
If the item is a journal articles, ask your Librarian
how to check if your Library subscribes to the journal.
You might have to check a paper list, or search the journal in the Library's online
catalog.
If the item is a book, search the book in your Library's online catalog.
If your Library doesn't own the item, they might be able
to get you a copy from another Library.
This is called Interlibrary Loan --Ask your Librarian for
details.
2. Check to see if other local libraries have the item.
Let's use the Record below as an example.
It's a citation for an article on ethics from the journal Reflections.
To see what libraries subscribe to this journal, we click on the
"Libraries with Item" button.
FirstSearch will show us a list of
Libraries owning the item or subscribing to the journal.
FirstSearch shows us Virginia Libraries first, then other
regional states, then Libraries across the country.
If no Virginia Libraries own the item, it skips to the closest states.
For our Record, we can see that Virginia Western Community College and Old Dominion University subscribe to this journal.
We could use that information if we make an Interlibrary
Loan request.
Sometimes you might be close enough to get the article from another Library yourself.
3. Check to see if the item is available for full-text display
The Full Record's "Get/Display Item" button
makes you think you can display the full-text item on your screen, but
most Virginia Community College Libraries do not have this option.
Ask your Librarian if your Library has the full-text display option.
Next we'll learn about Tagging and Printing Records.