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Using the Online Catalog

The Center for College Library Automation (CCLA) recently upgraded Seminole State's LINCCWeb online catalog to ExLibris PRIMO v.3.

The upgraded online library catalog brings changes to the way searches are conducted and how search results are displayed. It is no longer just a catalog of materials owned and licensed by Seminole State or other college libraries in the state of Florida. Instead, it is a "discovery tool" that searches multiple Web-based resources while simultaneously searching the library catalog.

Course assignments that were designed around the previous version of the PRIMO discovery tool may not appear the same in the new version. If you would like assistance with the transition of assignments, a Seminole State librarian will be happy to answer your questions and help you. Please e-mail Patricia DeSalvo, Dean of Libraries and Learning Technology, for more information.

You may still access the library's old LINCCWeb interface if you feel more comfortable using it. To do so, click the "LINCC Classic Catalog" link in the upper-left corner of the library home page. Your search results will be limited to the materials found in Seminole State's and other colleges' libraries. To access the library's databases in the classic interface, click "Go to Databases" in the upper-left corner of the LINCC Classic screen.

No additional upgrades are expected in the immediate future. By learning to work with and use the new version of PRIMO now, you should be covered through 2012.

Librarians and teaching faculty who recently reviewed and discussed the use of PRIMO 3 offer the following suggestions:

1. Use the "Advanced Search" to begin your work. This tool provides the most options and choices at the start.
2. Begin your search by entering a keyword search term or a title, subject, author, etc.
3. Select "Books," "eBooks," "Audio/Visual Material" or another format from the "Material Type" drop-down menu to isolate your desired items.
4. Select a language and/or publication date range to streamline your search results.
5. By default, the search will display article results first. Click on the "Refine My Results" options in the left-hand column to change the display and/or narrow your search.
6. The "Read Article" link indicates full text articles. If the article does not display, there is no full text. If you are presented with a list of articles, scroll down until you find the one you need.
7. You can still search specific databases by using the "Databases A-Z," "Databases by Subject," and "Journals A-Z" links toward the top of the page. This may be the best approach for conducting and teaching research.
8. PRIMO uses the meta data provided by each vendor to populate search results. This information varies but typically includes the material's author, title, subject(s), summary and abstract, among other things. 

The Seminole State Library has noted several improvements with the new version of PRIMO. These include:

• Seminole State College of Florida is the default location. Students and faculty no longer need to scroll through a list of all colleges to locate Seminole State.
• Peer-reviewed and full-text journal selections can now be accessed from links located toward the top of the search results page.
• More than 90 percent of listed articles are now available in full text.