Communication

Go to the Library's Databases by Subject page to find other databases for your topic. 

Use the Database Search Strategy worksheet to help refine your question and identify search terms.

Take a look at this CM225 example worksheet to for an example on how to fill it out.

Do you have a citation but not the full text?

Google Scholar

• Click the Google Scholar link on the library homepage: https://scholar-google-com.ac.idm.oclc.org/scholar?q=&inst=989458949069534165
• This is especially important if you’re off campus. The link on our homepage is synced to our databases, that’s how it knows whether or not to give you full text access
• Enter the article title in quotation marks If we have full text access, a link should appear on the right hand side that says something along the lines of: “Full Text @ Alverno” or [HTML] from Ebsco or [PDF] from proquest.com
• Click those links to go to the full text

TOPCAT

• Go to TOPCAT (https://switch-am.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?vid=01SLCO_AM:Alverno&lang=en) or start from the TOPCAT search box on the library homepage
• Enter the JOURNAL title (NOT the article title) in the search box, change the dropdown menu from Keyword to Journal Title and hit search.
• This will pull up any SWITCH schools that have physical or electronic access to this journal
• To place a hold/request for a journal article through TOPCAT, follow these instructions:https://libguides.alverno.edu/findandrequest/articlerequest​

InterLibrary Loan

• Submit an InterLibrary Loan (ILL) request to get access to materials not held by Alverno or one of the SWITCH libraries.
• These requests typically take 7-10 days, depending on the type of material requested
• It's 100% free!
• Read more about ILL on the ILL Policy page or call (414)382-6397

Still struggling?

That's what we're here for! Ask a librarian! You can also try our FAQ.