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The University of Massachusetts Amherst
Libraries Ask Us

EDUC 229 International Education

What Is Discovery Search?

Discovery Search is the search box that you see on the Libraries' website.

Discovery Search search bar

What's in Discovery Search?

Searching with Discovery lets you search the physical materials held at the UMass Amherst Libraries, Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College and Smith College, as well as some of the 600+ databases that the Libraries subscribe to for research.

Discovery Search is good for:

  • Looking to see if the Libraries have a specific print material or a specific ebook.
  • Being starting place to find materials, especially if you're trying to narrow down a topic.

How To Search With Discovery Search

Quick Search

In the search bar on the Libraries home page (as shown above), type in your keywords and hit Search.

Advanced Search

Using Advanced Search can help you find things more effectively than a quick search.

Underneath the search bar on the Libraries home page (as shown above), there's a link for Advanced Search. Click on that link.

Discovery Search Advanced Search interface

To get the most out of Advanced Search, use a separate line for each concept of your search and change the default field to a more specific field.

For example, if I was searching for what was available for using graphic novels for teaching, I would put graphic novels as keywords on the first search line and keep the field as the default and put teaching on the second search line and change the field to SU Subject Terms. This will tell the search interface that I'd like all items that have a subject of teaching AND have graphic novels in any other field.

Discovery Search advanced search interface showing example of searching for graphic novels in education

Once you click Search, you'll go to the Results screen. In the Results screen, use the filters on the left side of the screen to look at "slices" of the results, which is especially helpful if you have hundreds or thousands of results.

The most useful filters to use are:

Filter What It Does
Publication Date Use this slider to narrow down to a set of years, such as the last ten years.
Format Click on Show More to see all the formats available, such as Books, eBooks, Academic Journals and more.
Subject The first five subjects shown are the ones with the most results. Click on Show More to see all subjects. In the Subject Box, click on Name to sort the list alphabetically. It makes it easier to scroll through a lot of subjects! You can use the subjects to either view slices of the results by subject or you might use the subject to do a new search using a single subject or a combination of subjects and/or keywords.

Is It Print?

 

  1. Check the Status and when applicable, the Due Date field.

Example:

 

 Status Field Says  What's Available To Me?
Available

Come to the library if the Location is UMass OR use the Place Request link if the Location is Amherst (AC), Hampshire (HC), Mount Holyoke (MH) or Smith (SC) OR request home delivery (see below for instructions).

If the item has a Location of UMass and a Status of Available, you can use the Place Request link to have the item held for you at the entry level information desk. You will need to wait until you receive an email that the item is ready before trying to pick it up.
Requested   Request a hold on the item by using the Place Request link. The patron who has the book will be notified that it has been recalled and needs to be returned to the Libraries. You will receive an email when the item is ready to be picked up.
Checked Out and there's a date in the Due Date field

Request a hold on the item by using the Place Request link. The patron who has the book will be notified that it has been recalled and needs to be returned to the Libraries. You will receive an email when the item is ready to be picked up.

If you need the item sooner, please submit a request via Interlibrary Loan.
Reserves...

Items on reserves are available only for a short amount of time. Make sure to look at the Location field to see which library the item is located. You can get Reserves items by asking for them at the Learning Commons Desk on the Lower Level of the Du Bois Library and at the desks on the main floor for both the Science & Engineering Library and Wadsworth Library.

If you want an item on reserve for a longer amount of time, submit a request via Interlibrary Loan. If it is a textbook, please do not submit via Interlibrary Loan. Instead, please email our Reserves department at reserves@umass.libanswers.com. 
Missing or something else that is not Available or Reserves or Requested Submit a request via Interlibrary Loan.

 

Delivery to Your Home Address

If you'd like to have items mailed to you, please use the Library Express service. Use the link below to see the instructions for how to have interlibrary loan items mailed to you. This includes both UMass and other libraries, including Five College libraries and interlibrary loan materials (as long as the owning library has not restricted it to use within the library only).

The Libraries will mail books to any off campus address within the United States, including those within the Pioneer Valley. 

Is It Available Electronically?

If we have the book available electronically, the record will have UMass: Link to resource above the Location field.

Example:

Umass Link to resource example

Once you have clicked on the link, you may be prompted for your NetID and password. We purchase ebooks from many vendors and the interfaces work differently.

Please note that if the Status field is Internet and the UMass: Link to resource is not showing, it means that we do not have electronic access to the book.

There are ebooks in the catalog that have a Location of Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke or Smith. Those ebooks are only available remotely to the faculty, staff, and students of Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke or Smith. This is due to vendor licensing restrictions. You can go to those libraries and use one of their public terminals to access the ebook.

If we do not have an electronic version of the book, please submit an interlibrary loan request for the book using the link below and indicate if you'd like an electronic or print version of the book.