Find It FAQ
- What is Find It?
- Who can use Find It?
- Will the button to the "Find It" service always look the same?
- Why do only some bibliographic databases feature Find It?
- If there is no full text link, does that mean the article is not available?
- Why don't I always go straight to the article when I click on "full text"?
- When I click the MNCAT option, why don't I get any results?
- When I click on an option in the Find It menu, nothing happens. Why?
- How can I get more help?
A: Find It allows you to link from an article or book citation in a bibliographic database to a list of service options for that article or book. These options vary from citation to citation, and may include:
- full text access to the article
- an automatic search of MNCAT -- U of M All Campuses Catalog
- an Interlibrary Loan (ILL) request form
- a link to Ask Us! for additional help from a librarian
Q: Will the button to the "Find It" service always look the same?
A: Yes, for the most part they will, but there are some variations on the button or linked text that are good to be aware of.� Here are some of possible ways that a link to the Find It service may be presented: |
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SFX |
Q: Why do only some bibliographic databases feature Find It?
A. If you don't see a "Find it" button, first make sure that JavaScript is enabled in your web browser.Not all of the bibliographic databases subscribed to by the University Libraries support the technology behind Find It. We anticipate that more databases will have this service available in the future. For a current list of the Libraries' Find It-enabled databases, click here.
Q: If there is no full text link, does that mean the article is not available?
A: Not necessarily. Libraries staff are working to incorporate as much of our online holdings information into Find It as possible, but this is a slow (and endless!) process. Also, full-text access may not be available for certain (usually older) volumes or journal titles, and the University Libraries may not have a license for full-text access to that journal.Therefore, if Find It does not generate a link to the full text of an article, it is important to check MNCAT for locations of print materials or for electronic holdings that are not Find It-enabled. If you discover that the Libraries do not own the material you need, you may place a request through Interlibrary Loan.
Q: Why don't I always go straight to the article when I click on "full text"?
A: Using the citation information provided, the Find It linking service will get you as close to the full-text of an article as it can. However, the URL structures of certain publisher or information provider web sites don't allow direct linking to full text; instead, you may end up on the journal's home page, or at the table of contents for the appropriate issue. In those cases, you will need to navigate the site yourself to get to the article content.Q: When I click the MNCAT option, why don't I get any results?
A: In most cases, if MNCAT returns a "no matches" message, it means the University Libraries does not subscribe to that particular title. Other times, due to differences in cataloging and indexing practices, searching MNCAT from the Find It menu may not find materials that we do own. To verify whether or not the Libraries has a particular item, search for the title of the book or journal you need in MNCAT directly.Once you determine that the University Libraries does not own the material you need, you may submit a request for the item through Interlibrary Loan.
Q. When I click on an option in the Find It menu, nothing happens. Why?
A. If you have multiple browser windows open, the page you are linking to may be hidden behind another window. Also, certain websites require you to acknowledge a pop-up message before continuing; sometimes, this pop-up box is hiding behind the Find It menu. In either case, press Alt-Tab (or use the MS Windows Tool Bar) to display the other browser windows. A: If you have questions, please Ask Us! for help.