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Tag: Health Information @ Himmelfarb

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Earlier this week we launched a change to Health Information @ Himmelfarb, the library catalog. The default search scope is now “Articles + GW & Consortium Catalog”. This includes physical materials, primarily print books, from other academic libraries in the Washington Research Library Consortium (including Gelman and other GW Libraries) as well as Himmelfarb’s content (books, journal articles, videos, and more) in your search results.

There are many instances when including this content will improve your search results. Searches for books and topics beyond clinical medicine will frequently be enhanced by inclusion of the holdings of these libraries. The consortium content will be included in your search results automatically now. You’ll be able to see where items retrieved are available when you click through to the full record from search results:

Health Information @ Himmelfarb search results screen with consortium book result
Consortium book full record screen in Health Information @ Himmelfarb with holding libraries listed.

The Consortium Loan Service (CLS) allows you to request these items and have them delivered directly to Himmelfarb Library or the VSTC Library. You will see the option for the CLS Request form when you are signed into Health Information @ Himmelfarb with your GW UserID. Items borrowed on CLS typically arrive within a week of request. There are no charges or limits on how many CLS requests you can make.

Consortium loan service request form in Health Information @ Himmelfarb

If you prefer to use the original default search scope which includes Himmelfarb collections and subscription content only, you can still find it by clicking the down arrow in the search box and selecting the Articles + Himmelfarb Catalog scope.

Health Information @ Himmelfarb search box on home page with Articles + Himmelfarb Catalog scope selected

The change in default search scopes will continue through the Spring 2024 semester and then we will assess whether to make it permanent or revert back. Please provide feedback on the change by clicking on the link in the banner at the top of Health Information @ Himmelfarb pages.

Banner at top of Health Information @ Himmelfarb notifying about scope change and with link to feedback form

Your feedback will help us make the decision that is most helpful to you, our users. GW SMHS, SON and SPH students, faculty and staff who would be willing to participate in a brief focus group about the change can include contact information in the feedback form and will be entered in a raffle for Starbucks $10 gift cards.

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The Library Search Box, also known as Health Information @ Himmelfarb, searches the library’s physical and electronic collections simultaneously. Here are some tips for looking for a specific item, doing a complex search, and saving results.

Searching for Identifiers or Citations

We know that many of you use the search box to retrieve a specific article or other publication with a DOI or citation information. While putting a DOI directly into the search box will frequently retrieve the work, using the Find Item feature provides more options and a better chance of finding what you’re looking for.

To use Find Item go to go.gwu.edu/himmefarbfindit or from the Health Information @ Himmelfarb landing page select Find Item from the menu at the top of the page. Then use the buttons at the top of the Find Item tool to select the type of item you want to search - article, book, or journal. 

Find Item Citation Linker tool in Health Information at Himmelfarb

Input the identifier you have in the appropriate field and click Submit. For articles you can use a DOI or PMID. ISBN or ISSN values can be used for books and journals. Put in just the numeric value (ex. 10.1016/j.cmi.2022.02.018 for a DOI). You can search on both 13 and 10-digit ISBN values.

Doing Complex Searches

The Health Information @ Himmelfarb default search box is designed to do keyword searches. Using quote marks or nesting terms with parentheses or inputting symbols like & in the search box will not retrieve good results. To do a more complex search using boolean concepts or specifying fields to search, use Advanced Search. The Advanced Search button appears to the right of the search box:

Health Information at Himmelfarb search box with Advanced Search button at right circled

Advanced search allows multiple concepts to be entered by adding lines to the search. You can also designate what field you want to search (text, title, author, etc.), the material type being searched for, and the date range:

Advanced search screen in Health Information at Himmelfarb with search for health disparities in kidney transplant

Saving Searches and Results

After spending time setting up a search, you may want to save the search strategy to use again in the future. In order to save a search, you need to be logged into Health Information @ Himmelfarb. Use the Sign In button at the top right and input your GW UserID and password when prompted. If you’re already authenticated on your browser, the login will be automatic.

Sign in button above and to right of searchbox in Health Information at Himmelfarb circled

Once logged in, use the Save Query button at the top of the search results page to save the search. This will also save any filters applied.

Save query button highlighted above search results in Health Information at Himmelfarb

To use the search again, click on your name at the top right and select My Favorites.

Sign in drop down menu in Health Information at Himmelfarb with My Favorites option highlighted

If you’ve saved search results, you’ll also see them here. Select the Saved Searches tab to see and re-run saved searches. To the right are options to generate an RSS feed for the search, set up alerts when the search produces new results, or delete the search. 

Saved search screen in Health Information at Himmelfarb with RSS, alert and delete options highlighted

As mentioned previously, search results can also be saved to My Favorites. Use the pushpin next to the record in search results to save an individual record.

Search results screen in Health Information at Himmelfarb with My Favorites pushpin highlighted

Or check the box at the top of the results to save the results on the first page or top 50 results.

Search results screen in Health Information at Himmelfarb with Save page results box at the top highlighted

The results can then be sorted, organized with labels, and output from My Favorites.

Check the Health Information @ Himmelfarb FAQ for more tips and instructions on searching and managing your results.

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Hands typing on laptop image

The Library Search Box, also known as Health Information @ Himmelfarb, searches the library’s physical and electronic collections simultaneously. It can also search the holdings of GW’s Gelman Library and Jacob Burns Law Library, and all the libraries in the Washington Research Library Consortium! Here are some tips for getting the most out of your search experience.

Refine Your Results

Health Information @ Himmelfarb searches millions of records and searches frequently return very large results sets. The service uses relevancy ranking to bring the best content to the top of results. You can use Refine Results to further narrow the results group to the best matches for your search. Refine options are listed on the left side of the results page.

Refine results screen in Health Information @ Himmelfarb

You can refine by date, content type, subject or availability. Under Availability there are filters for open access and peer reviewed content.

Conversely, you can widen your search to include items outside of Himmelfarb’s collections by using the Expand My Results option at the top of Refine Results.

Expand My Results screen in Health Information @ Himmelfarb

The Search Box Can Fetch!

Want to quickly retrieve an item with just one or a few pieces of information?  Use the Find Item Citation Linker. Select Find Item from the top menu, select your item type (Article, Book or Journal) and input as many pieces of information as you know. If you have a PMID, DOI, or ISBN, that’s all you need.

Find Item Citation Linker screen in Health Information @ Himmelfarb

 Use Shortcuts to Full-text

Records for journal articles in the results list frequently include links to Download PDF or View Issue Contents. 

Download PDF option in brief record screenshot from Health Information @ Himmelfarb

These links use the LibKey service to provide shortcuts directly to full-text or to view the full journal issue in Browzine. To learn about other Browzine features, check our Research Guide. LibKey offers a browser extension called Nomad to get to full text faster in PubMed, CINAHL Complete, and Scopus. See this article for more on how to download and use Nomad.

Search and Request Items from Other Libraries

Use the drop down menu next to the magnifying glass on the search box to change the content from just Himmelfarb resources to content from the Washington Research Library Consortium. This will include content from the other GW libraries.

Change search scope screen in Health Information @ Himmelfarb

Once you find your item, you can request it from another library in the consortium by signing in with your GW User ID.

Sign in prompt on full record screen in Health Information @ Himmelfarb

Then select the Consortium Loan Service Request.

Consortium Loan Service Request link screenshot in Health Information @ Himmelfarb

Your email and the book data should automatically populate the form. Select your pickup library (Himmelfarb or Virginia Science and Technology Campus Library) and indicate if there is a date you no longer need the item after. You will receive an email notice when the item is available for pickup.

Check the Health Information @ Himmelfarb FAQ for more tips and instructions on searching, requesting items, and managing your results.

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Reflecting GW’s return to campus and our physical facilities, the default search scope on Himmelfarb Library’s search box is changing. Instead of Online Access only, the default search setting will now include Himmelfarb Library’s physical collections.  Search results will include print books, print journals, physical multimedia like DVDs, and equipment for loan, as well as electronic materials.

If you prefer to continue to search only online collections, you can opt to change the scope to Online Access by clicking the down arrow to the right and then selecting Online Access.

Other available search scopes are Articles only, the Himmelfarb Catalog (does not include articles), or Articles + GW & Consortium Catalog.  The last option includes materials from all of the Washington Research Library Consortium members and all of GW’s libraries. Physical materials from these libraries can be borrowed via the Consortium Loan Service. Sign into Health Information @ Himmelfarb to see Consortium Loan Service requesting options.

If you cannot come physically into Himmelfarb Library there are still pickup and shipping options available.  Visit our Courtyard Request and Shipping Request services pages for details.

Need assistance with searching Health Information @ Himmelfarb? Contact our Information Desk staff at (202) 994-2850, himmelfarb@gwu.edu or Chat Us!

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A Special Collections gallery is now available in Health Information @ Himmelfarb, the library’s catalog and discovery service.  You can now browse through special collections contents or search easily within a collection.

Special Collections Gallery image

To access, click the Special Collections option from the top Health Information @ Himmelfarb menu as shown below. 

Special Collections Menu item in Health Information @ Himmelfarb image

The following collections and resource lists are currently available:

Note that some collection items may not appear in the gallery due to current quarantine restrictions. 

To search within a collection, use the Search inside the collection button at the top of the resource list.  You can also change the default sort using the Sort Items button. 

Search Collections Option in Collection Gallery image

To see availability and location of collection items, open the full record and check the Get It area. 

Full record display from special collections image

Many collections include electronic content. Healthy Living collection books and the Humanities and Health collection are located in the alcove on the first floor. Equipment and the Historical Collections are kept behind the first floor Circulation Desk.

To inquire about collections availability or learn about borrowing options while library access is restricted, contact the Himmelfarb Circulation Desk at mlbcir@gwu.edu or 202-994-2962.

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After Himmelfarb Library closed its physical space, we made changes to Health Information @ Himmelfarb to make searching for electronic content easier.  The default search mode was switched from Articles + Himmelfarb Catalog to Online Access.  The online access search limits items retrieved to those available full-text online. This includes article, book chapter, and e-book content, as well as some streaming media.

Online access search default image

Searchers can still search physical content by switching the search mode to any of the “catalog” options:

All search scopes image

Requesting holds on books and Consortium Loan request options are turned off until Himmelfarb and other Washington Research Library Consortium libraries reopen. Library users can continue to request items that can be sent digitally through our Documents2Go service.

Have you ever wanted to keep filters you applied in a search active throughout a search session, or easily remove all of them? Now you can! A new enhancement allows setting and keeping multiple filters active with “Remember all filters” or removing all with “Reset filters”. These options become available at the top of the left column menu whenever filters are applied.

Filter management image

If you have questions about Health Information @ Himmelfarb or need assistance with searching, contact Himmelfarb’s Information Desk staff!

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Have you noticed the new microphone icon in the search bar of Health Information @ Himmelfarb?

The microphone appears on most search pages; clicking the microphone enables a voice search feature.

Now speak your search terms and Health Information @ Himmelfarb will display your terms and retrieve matches. A red button in the open window tab indicates the microphone is active and listening. If no audio is detected, the system will prompt for input twice before exiting voice mode.

At this time voice search is only available on Chrome desktop, Android, and Samsung browsers. It will roll out for other browsers as they support Web Speech API.

Health Information @ Himmelfarb has also launched several changes for mobile device searching. 

There is a new funnel icon for Refine Results functions (circled in red above).  When you click the funnel icon for Refine Results all of the options display and multiple can be selected at once.

 

 

When you open an item in results, all of the Send to options are now displayed in a block together, as shown to left.

 

 

The ellipsis icon (circled in red below) now leads to Library Account, Advanced search, and other search options. 

You can also access Sign In here for requesting options, including Consortium Loan Service and Documents2Go.

We hope these new features improve your search experience on Health Information @ Himmelfarb. If you have questions about the service or need assistance with it, open a chat session with the Ask Us tab while searching or contact the Himmelfarb Information Desk at 4-2850 or himmelfarb@gwu.edu.

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