Research Guides: Library Quick Start: Library Search

Library Search

The Library Search is an excellent place to start your library research. You can find articles, reports, books, ebooks, theses, journals, and much more, all from a single search box.

A good tool for

Getting a broad overview of the sources we have available on your topic
Searching for a specific article, book, or journal

What does it search?

Library-owned materials or subscribed content and beyond

(6:28 min.)

When to use a different search tool

The database is not included in the Library Search
You need to conduct more in-depth, targeted searching
You need to search the full text of documents
You want to access the most recent information

Use filters to refine your search results

Smart application of filters help narrow your results to a manageable number.

Library Search filters

You can choose to see only what's available online, or physical items. Use these filters carefully. For example, if you only choose "Scholarly Articles" you may be excluding some highly relevant technical reports that aren't categorized under "scholarly."

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Include or Exclude

You can include or exclude almost all the filters. Be careful with excluding types like "Text Resources" or "Other" as you may inadvertently exclude useful items. Here's an example showing how to exclude Reviews.

excluding filters

Newspaper Search

Newspapers are searched separately.

Find the search link in the filters:

Newspapers search filter

or at the bottom of the results page:

If you see a link that says, "No Online Access" click through anyway as the item may actually be available.

no online access link

online access available

Use the date filter to find more recent items.

date filter

Use these two filters to find ebooks:

Ebook filters

Get the full text

Click the green "Available Online" link or the title link to open the full record
Go to the "Find Online" section
Sometimes you get more than one option
Check the coverage dates
Click the database link that has the coverage dates you need

Include items my library doesn't have, but that I can request

Even though your search may return thousands of hits, the results may not be quite what you're looking for. You can expand your search beyond what we have, and include items you can request from other libraries.

Click
Login if you haven't already
Click the link and submit a request

Find something you need but we don't have it? You can submit a request.

Request Article or Book
(Interlibrary Loan - ILL)

Current authenticated NPS users can request to borrow materials from another library in support of learning, teaching, research, and other NPS mission-related efforts.

How to place a request

First, use the Library Search to see if we already have access. If we do, please check out or download the item yourself. You don't need to submit a request. (Course Reserves are available at the Information Desk.)
Read the Copyright Notice.
If you need to request the item, submit the Request Article or Book (Interlibrary Loan) form. First time user registration required

Article PDFs can arrive as quickly as 2-3 days. Print books can take 1-2 weeks or longer.

Questions? ill@nps.edu

DL Students,

We’ll also send library-owned print materials to you.

We will ship to you at no cost.
You are responsible for the small cost of shipping items back to us. Please return items via Priority Mail allowing enough time for the item to arrive by the due date.

How to register:

Fill out the entire form
Enter [ -DL ] after your last name
Use the email you regularly read
Include a phone number
Ensure your shipping address is correct
Enter [ Distance Student ] for your Status
Include your curriculum name and number

(3:59 min.)

Learn more about Interlibrary Loan.

Recall a book

If you want a book, but it's checked out, you can recall the item (excluding Course Reserves).

Login

Logging in gets you:

Complete results
Immediate access to our subscription content
Ability to request items
Access to your library account (book loans and renewals, favorites, saved searches, alerts)

Pin Favorites, Save Searches & Search History

You can pin to your favorites, and save your searches. The system also preserves your search history.

Your favorites will stay in the system until you graduate, and no longer have a library account.

1. Pin a record

2. Go to see your pinned records

3. My Favorites = Save Records, Saved Searches, Search History

Databases Not in Library Search

Some of our databases are not included in the Library Search. You will need to search these databases directly and individually using the links below, or go to our Article & Research Databases page.

Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO) International affairs: policy briefs, case studies, maps, country data.
CQ Press Electronic Library (CQ Press) Search our CQ Press publications including CQ Almanac, CQ Researcher, CQ Magazine.
EBSCO Business, sociology, computing & technology, criminal justice, shock and vibration, bibliography of Asian Studies
Homeland Security Digital Library (HSDL) U.S. policy documents, key federal, state and municipal documents, links to important sites, hearings, CRS reports, multimedia materials, theses, gray literature, Homeland Security related news and more. Restricted Collection access available to eligible U.S. citizens
InsideDefense News and documents focusing on defense and aerospace programs, procurement & policy-making. Includes Inside the Pentagon, Inside the Navy, Inside the Army, Inside the Air Force, and Inside Missile Defense
Janes Military systems & equipment, geopolitical & terrorism intelligence, defense news & analysis, country security & threat assessments, and order of battle information for military worldwide. At the Janes site enter your NPS email (e.g. john.doe@nps.edu). If you have difficulty accessing Janes, contact Ask a Librarian
LexisNexis - Law and News This link goes to the sign in page for all the LexisNexis products Get the login credentials at Lexis & Nexis (NPS login required) Once signed in, you can choose which database to search from the grid menu in the upper left corner. (Databases: Lexis, Nexis, Nexis Dossier, Nexis Uni, Shepards' BriefCheck, Shepard's BriefLink, Total Patent One) Newspapers, news wires, TV & radio transcripts, congressional transcripts, magazines, journals, business publications, federal/congressional, state, and International law
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) Criminal, juvenile justice & law enforcement publications, reports, articles, statistics, research findings, program descriptions, congressional and training materials, etc.
PressReader Digital replicas of newspapers & magazines in many languages from around the world available through browser or mobile app.
Readex (NewsBank) Access World News, Armed Services & Government News, Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Daily Reports
US Declassified Documents Online (Gale) Government documents, domestic & foreign policies, correspondence & memoranda, minutes of cabinet meetings, technical studies, national security policy statements & intelligence reports.
WorldCat Simultaneously search 10,000 libraries worldwide for books and more. Must be on the NPS network to access. If you are off campus use the VPN.

Find journals, newspapers, magazines

Search by title

Library Quick Start