MetaLib - Searching
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
MetaLib is a new service at CSU Libraries. If you do not find the answer to your question here, please fill out the MetaLib Problem Report Form.
I clicked on the "Main Search Form" button and nothing happened!
Before you can perform a search, you must first select some resources. Use the drop-down subject menu or search boxes on the left side of the screen to pull up a list of possible resources.
I typed something in the search box and nothing happened!
After you select a subject area, you must check the boxes next to the resources you wish to search.
How many sources can I search at once?
Up to eight sources may be searched at the same time.
Do I have to wait for everything to finish before I start viewing search results?
No, you can start viewing search results as soon as the first database is finished.
When a database is finished searching, it will display a "More" button to the left of the database name.Databases that are still searching may display the word "fetching" to the right of the database name.
How do I get to the full-text of an article?
In the search results, click on the FindIt (SFX) button to see all the options for a specific citation. If the article is available in full-text format, it will be listed first on the FindIt (SFX) menu. For more help with FindIt (SFX), see About FindIt (SFX) or ask for help at the Information Desk.
The "My Resource" list I created yesterday disappeared! What happened?
To save a "My Resource" list, you need to login to MetaLib with a username and password. (Individual usernames and passwords are not currently available.) If you login as "Guest," all your information, including your search history and "My Resource" list are deleted when you exit MetaLib.
How do I limit searches by year? I want articles from 1990-2000.
After selecting resources to search, select Year from the drop-down menu. The hyphen is not recognized by MetaLib. To search for multiple years, combine them with OR. For example: 1990 or 1991 or 1992. . .
A question mark [?] is used for truncation. Other truncation symbols may appear to work (depending upon the resources selected) but will not give you complete or accurate search results.
For more information about how to use truncation, use the short Truncation Tutorial.
I want to remove duplicate records, but it won't let me!
The "Merge" link doesn't work!To remove duplicate records, you must have fewer than 150 records total for all resources combined. For example, if one database retrieved 100 records and a second database retrieved 60 records, you would not be able to use the "Merge" option.
When should I use the "Refine" feature?
The "Refine" feature works best when you have one additional word that you'd like to add to your search with "AND."
In most cases, you will get better results if you conduct a completely new search.
