Searching in the Discovery Catalog is similar to searching in other systems. By using AND to connect your key terms, and putting key terms with more than one word in quotation marks (i.e. "key terms"), you will achieve greater precision in your search results.
On your results page, it is important to recognize three different features:
1. Library: Your results will automatically be scoped to Libraries Worldwide, but the catalog will prioritize FDU resources. To see the local holdings (print only) for a particular branch, you will have to select that location.
2. Format: The Discovery Catalog will yield results for resources in many different formats. For example, you will see results for print books, eBooks, journal articles, videos, and more. To see one format over another (i.e. print books only) you will have to select it.
3. Accessing a Record: To access a record, you will need to select the resource's title. This is how you will see, for example, where a book is located on the shelf, or how to access a downloadable article.
On the left hand side of your results page, you will see a selection of filters to narrow down your search results. The default search functionality for WMS Discovery will search FDU's holdings, group together editions if applicable, and sort by relevance.
(1) Group Related Editions
The "Group Related Editions" option is also checked by default. This will compact search results by grouping various editions or formats of a title in to one record. For instance if there is a 1956 copy and a 1998 copy of a title both with be displayed in the search results as one title, but both editions can be accessed from the result record.
(2) Library
By default, searches are scoped to Libraries Worldwide, which includes items not held by FDU but potentially available through Interlibrary Loan. You can choose to narrow a search to materials only available at FDU, or materials available at an individual campus (this only works for print materials).
(3) Content
Limit your search results to Full Text, Peer Reviewed, or Open Access.
(4) Format
Limit results by format, i.e. book, article, video. Format options will changed based on your search results.
(5) Databases
By default search results are returned from all databases configured to work with WMS Discovery. The database listed here can be searched or viewed individually to reduce search result noise.
(6) Author
Limit results by author.
(7) Year
Limit results by publication year.
