Library Instruction

Winter 2009

Find Books and More!

Today...

• What Primo is and what types of resources you can use it to find

• What special features Primo has that can enrich your research experience

• Where to look when something is not in Primo

http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/newsitems/welcome_winter.html

What is Primo?

“LOVE IT. Much better than the current search system in place. Please make it the default one as soon as possible!” – Undergraduate student

• Primo is a search tool that allows you to find and access a wide range of print and electronic resources from a single search point– User-friendly– Has many unique and useful features (“did you mean?” spell

checker, book covers, material type icons, facets, grouping, and sorting options)

What can you use Primo to find?

• Right now...Materials from UW / Laurier / Guelph– Books / E-books– Journals / E-journals– Government documents (online and print)– Conference proceedings

What can you use Primo to find?

• In the future...Articles, course reserves, GIS data, and more!

• Primo has the potential to add an unlimited number of data sources

Primo and TRELLIS: A quick comparison!

• Right now... Primo mirrors TRELLIS holdings• In the future... Primo will include things that

TRELLIS does not – like article indexing, GIS data etc.

• Primo is primarily a “discovery layer”• Primo and TRELLIS have very different strengths

Accessing Primo

Accessing Primo

Primo main page

Primo – Fast Facts and Help

Primo – Sorting

Primo – Sorting

Primo – Facets

Primo – Display features

Primo – “Did you mean?” spell check

Primo – Links in item records

Primo – Add to e-shelf

Primo – Saving / exporting

Primo – e-Shelf

What if something isn’t in Primo?

• Book? Place an interlibrary loan using RACER

What if something isn’t in Primo?

• Book? Place an interlibrary loan using RACER

What if something isn’t in Primo?

• Book? Place an interlibrary loan using RACER

What if something isn’t in Primo?

• Journal? Check the A-Z list

What if something isn’t in Primo?

• Journal? Check the A-Z list

What if something isn’t in Primo?

• Not on the A-Z list? Place an ILL using RACER

Looking for articles?

• Use the Library’s research databases – Quick search on homepage– Use the Library’s Research Databases page

Finding course reserves

• Course reserves will be integrated into Primo likely in the spring term

• For now, find course reserves through TRELLIS or the link on the Library’s homepage

Need help?• Ask-a-librarian service: