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Database Searching

Learn how to select a library database for your research topic and how to use the databases to find sources on your topic.

What is Interlibrary Loan?

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is a service provided to current SUNY New Paltz faculty, students, and staff to obtain items not available in the Sojourner Truth Library. You can request physical books, PDFs of book chapters and PDF of articles. You can request an article through a specific database and through the Search Our Library bar. 

Find it @ New Paltz and Interlibrary Loan

If you see a "find full text" button instead of a PDF in a database - click it! The "find full text" button will search our other 140ish databases for full text access and provide you with a link. If we do not have access to the article then an Interlibrary Loan option is provided. 

  1. Click the  "find full text" button on the article description page. Article detail page in a database with arrow pointing to "Find full text" button on the left.
  2. If we do not have the full text in another database, you will be taken to a description page for the article. Sign into your library account to submit an interlibrary loan request.Article detail page within the library catalog with arrow pointing to "Get It" section with Interlibrary Loan option.
  3. Scroll down to the "Get It" section on the article page. If a database is listed, click on database hyperlink to be brought to an electronic copy of that article. If Interlibrary Loan is listed, click on the Interlibrary Loan hyperlink to request a PDF copy of the article. 
  4. Sign into your Interlibrary Loan account using your NP username and password. 
  5. Check to make sure the auto filled article information is correct then hit "Submit Request" at the bottom of the request page. Interlibrary Loan article request page auto filled with a box around "Submit Request" at bottom.
  6. You will receive an email when a PDF of the article is available for you to download. 

Using Search Our Library for known items

You can use Search Our Library to search for known articles by title. If we have electronic access to the article in our databases a link is provided. If we do not have electronic access a link to Interlibrary Loan is provided. 

  1. Using the "Search Our Library" on the library homepage, search for access to an article by title. "Search Our Library" bar on the library homepage with an arrow pointing to search bar.
  2. If we have access to the article it will be listed in the results page. If we do not check the box on the left to "Add results that require additional delivery time via ILL." "Search Our Library" results page showing no results with a box around the check box for Interlibrary Loan results on the left.
  3. Now that the box for including articles delivered through ILL is checked, look at the results page. Click on the title of the article to be brought to an article description page. "Search Our Library" results page now shows two results for Interlibrary Loan articles. Arrow points to one of the articles.
  4. On the article description page, sign into your library account. 
  5. Scroll down to the "Get It" section and select the "Interlibrary Loan" option. Article description page with arrowing pointing to the "Get It" section with Interlibrary Loan links.
  6. Sign into your Interlibrary Loan account using your NP username and password. 
  7. Check to make sure the auto filled article information is correct then hit "Submit Request" at the bottom of the request page. Interlibrary Loan article request page auto filled with a box around "Submit Request" at bottom.
  8. You will receive an email when a PDF of the article is available for you to download.
Subjects: Reference