The following videos will teach you how to use the library's main finding tool. These videos will also show you some advanced searching techniques that will make your research more effective.

Use LibrarySearch to find information in lots of different formats: books, e-books, articles, videos, and more,  You will also find the LibrarySearch box on the VIU Library home page.

Be precise.  The more specific your keywords, the more relevant your results will be.  For example, use "rainforest ecology" rather than rainforests, "atomic weight" instead of atoms.

Use quotation marks for phrases.  "Computer network security" will retrieve fewer results than computer network security, but those results will be more useful.  Using quotation marks for phrases will improve your Google searches, too.

Limit your results.  On the results page, use filters on the left side of the screen (under the heading "Refine your search") to narrow your search results.  Excluding newspaper articles is a quick way to reduce the number of your results.  To get only the most recent information, limit by publication date.

Follow the links to get your information.  For online articles and e-books, click on "Full Text Online" to access. For physical items, click Check Availability to find out whether the item is on the shelf in the library, or if it's on loan to someone else.  You can request items that are not available from the Library.

Ask for help.  If you experience challenges locating information you need, please ask library staff to assist.  See the Research Help page of this guide for ways to contact the library.