Welcome to Primo Online Help
The Primo online help contains information on the following topics:
 
Performing Basic Searches
You can search very easily in Primo. Just type one or more words you are looking for and click the Search button.
*Primo assumes that you are searching for all the words you type unless OR or NOT are specified between the words and phrases.
Once you are familiar with the basic Primo search, you might want to try doing more with the Search panel or use the Advanced Search option. Both of these options offer numerous features for making your searches more precise and enable you to get results that are more useful.
How Can I Do More with the Search Panel?
You can do more than just a simple search with the Search panel. Try the following search options to get the best results for your search:
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Searching for a Phrase
To search for a phrase, type quotation marks around the phrase. You can combine both words and phrases in your search.
*If you do not enclose the phrase with quotation marks, the system will find items that contain the individual words in the phrase, regardless of whether these words are located next to each other in the order specified.
For example, to search for global warming as one term, type the following in the search box:
Searching for Any Specified Words or Phrases
You can search for items that contain at least one of the words or phrases you type in the Search box. To do so, type OR between the words or phrases.
*If you search for words or phrases without specifying OR or NOT, Primo assumes that you are searching for all the specified words or phrases.
For example, to search for items with the word Irish or the word Celtic, type the following in the search box:
*To use Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) within search phrases, you must enter them in uppercase letters. Otherwise, Primo removes them and performs a simple search that includes all search phrases.
Excluding Words or Phrases
You can exclude items that contain specific words or phrases. To do so, type NOT and then type the word or phrase to exclude.
*If you search for words or phrases without specifying OR or NOT, Primo assumes that you are searching for all the specified words or phrases.
For example, to search for items with the word Celtic and exclude any of these items with the word Irish, type the following in the search box:
Searching Using Wildcard Characters
You can include the following wildcard characters in your searches:
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?—enter a question mark to perform a single character wildcard search. For example, type wom?n to search for records that contain the strings woman, women, and so forth.
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*—enter and asterisk to perform a multiple character wildcard search. For example, type cultur* to search for records that contain strings, such as culture, cultural, and culturally.
*The system ignores wildcard characters placed at the beginning of search terms. For example, the system treats the search terms ?aying and *aying as if you had searched for aying.
Grouping Terms Within a Query
You can use parentheses to group terms within a query. For example, to search for Shakespeare and either tragedy or sonnet, type the following in the search box:
Selecting Your Search Scope
The search scope defines where the system should perform the search. A default search scope is predefined based on your login, usually corresponding to your major field of study or some other criteria set up by the institution. However, you can change the scope of your search by selecting a search scope from the drop-down list as shown in the following example.
The Selected Databases scope allows you to search remote databases that you have selected using the Find Databases feature. For information on selecting remote databases, see Selecting Databases.
Using the Primo Central Search Scope
Primo Central is a centralized search index that encompasses tens of millions of records of global or regional significance that are harvested from primary and secondary publishers and aggregators. To search from these resources, select the Primo Central search scope or a search scope that includes it.
If you want to receive results for Primo Central items that do not contain full text, select the Expand beyond library collections check box.
Using Browse
The Browse search allows you to browse library material (local material only) in order to find information of relevance quickly. You can browse material by author, title, and subject. In the results, you can click an underlined entry to see its associated records. It is also possible to browse by call number, which returns a list of associated records in brief format. Clicking a title displays its full record.
Example Browse Results by Title
To access Browse, click the Browse Search link next to the simple search box, as shown below.
Browse Search Link
Your Space in Primo
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Why Should I Sign In?
When you sign into Primo, you are able to do the following:
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Set preferences for your current and future sessions. You can set your preferences so that they reflect the way you usually search, and save them for future sessions.
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Add items you found and queries you submitted permanently to your basket. You can save items from your results list to your basket and you can save queries that you have performed for future use.
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Set alerts for your queries. You can set a query to become an alert, that is, to run automatically and send you email notification once it locates new items answering your search criteria.
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Access external licensed resources. The institution offers licensed information resources to its users. Once you sign in, you can search and retrieve items from these additional resources.
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Use library services. You can benefit from library services such as requesting or recalling items.
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Tag and review items. You can assign words or phrases to items to help you organize and locate items later. Since tags are made public, other users can view your tags and use them. Additionally, you can review items to share your opinions with others.
Why Should I Sign Out?
You should sign out of Primo so that your searches remain private and your personal settings and basket are not tampered with by anyone else.
My Account
My Account enables you to view the contents of your library card and perform library services, such as renewing a book or canceling a request. In addition, it lets you define your personal Primo settings. To access My Account, click the My Account link, which appears at the top of each page in Primo.
Personal Settings
You can tailor the Primo user interface so that it reflects the way you usually search. For example, you can specify the default language, the maximum numbers of search results per page, your default e-mail address, and your cell phone number. To set your preferences, click the Personal Settings option on the left side of My Account.
*To keep your settings for future sessions, you must sign in and save your preferences.
Using e-Shelf
e-Shelf allows you to save and organize items that you find during your Primo session. To access e-Shelf, click the e-Shelf link at the top of the page.
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