There are many features available to you in Primo, and you can access a number of them via the Navigation Bar at the top of every page. If browsing on a mobile device, you can access these features via the Main Menu. Click the links on the left side of this page - or at the top of this page, if you are using a mobile device - to see more about each feature!
On a PC, the navigation bar is across the top of every page. Access the main menu by clicking the "Menu" text in the top right-hand corner of any page.
On a mobile device, click or tap the ellipses in the top right-hand corner to access the Main Menu and Navigation Menu. You'll then see a list of the Main Menu options, followed by a list of the Navigation Menu options on a mobile device.
If you're looking to browse the library's shelves from your device, use the Browse Search function in the main menu or navigation bar. When you click on the "Browse Search" button, you'll be taken to the Browse Search landing page, with the "Browse by" search box at the top of the page.
There are a number of ways to use the Browse Search function. You can search by four different elements, listed below. Click or tap on each element to expand it and learn more.
If you know the title of the book you're looking for, simply select "Browse by Title" from the yellow drop-down box, and type the title in the search box. Then, press enter or click the magnifying glass icon to submit your search. A list of books will appear that contain your search term(s); click on one to view a brief result of it on the next page with a bit more detail. Then, if you'd like more information, click that brief result to view information such as how to access the book, the author and publication date, availability, and other information. See the Basic Search and Viewing Item Details sections of this guide for more information on those views of a search result.
Use this element to search by an author of your choice. Be sure to format your search as "Last name, First Name", otherwise you will get inaccurate results.
Once you submit your (correctly formatted) search terms, you'll be presented with a list of authors. You may see the author you are searching for more than one time in this list. On the right side of each result, you'll see a number of titles with that person as the author, from "1 record" (1 title) to "20 + records" (more than 20 titles). Usually, a result with more records/titles will be more accurate than one with only 1 or 2 records/titles. Click the author's name to be taken to a list of that author's works, and page through as you would in any other Basic Search.
With the Subject browse search option, you can search by the subject of the title. For example, if we wanted to search not for titles authored by Jane Austen, but about Jane Austen, we could search "Austen, Jane" in the Subjects browse search. Then, clicking on the result that most fits what we're looking for, we'll see a list of titles with a subject of Jane Austen.
We can also search for a subject of study, such as "Nursing" or "Biology".
See the Viewing Item Details section of this guide for more information on viewing the Subjects associated with a particular title.
If you know the Library of Congress class of the subject you'd like to browse in, you can choose the option to search by call number. Type the class into the search bar, and either click the magnifying glass icon or press enter on your keyboard to submit your search. For example, the subject area "Biological Sciences - Ecology" corresponds to the class "QH581". If we type "QH581" into the Call Number search, we will get results with call numbers that start with "QH581" and therefore are about "Biological Sciences - Ecology".
For more information about common Library of Congress classes, ask your library's staff for help!
If you know the name of a journal or publication you'd like to search in, the "Journal Search" can be a great option! It can also be used to find journals related to a particular subject if you're unsure of which journals to search within. To access it, in the navigation bar or main menu, click on "Journal Search". You'll be taken to the Journal Search landing page.
Enter your search term(s) in the search box, then click the magnifying glass icon on the right-hand side of the search box to perform your search. As you type, you'll be prompted with different options to auto-complete your search term(s).
Or, use the list of Journals by Category on the left-hand side of the page to search by category or subject. This list includes the categories or subjects of all print and electronic journals that your library has access to, in alphabetical order.
Once you find a search result you're interested in, click anywhere on that result to view more details like its availability, how to access it, and more.
See the Basic Search and Viewing Item Details sections of this guide for a breakdown of the details available.
In the main menu or navigation bar, there is a link to a list of all the databases and electronic resources your library has access to. This is titled "A-Z Databases".
At Winthrop University's Dacus Library, their link is labeled "Database List".
There may be other links specific to your institution in the navigation or main menu as well, like a librarian chat link or a link to all of your library's research guides. Click on each one to find out more, or ask your library staff about them for more information!
