MetaFind searches multiple library resources (library catalogs, databases, search engines and reference materials) simultaneously and retrieves results in a single list.
Click on this icon:
to go directly to MetaFind.
Please note, when you first go to MetaFind, you will be at the advanced search page.
To go to the Simple Search Page, use this button:
The Advanced Search page allows you to create a "boolean" search using up to three sets of terms. Here you select the resources you would like to search. Tip: Try to keep the number of resources you select managable. Five resources per search is usually best as a maximum.
Enter the search terms and choose the field that you want to use to search (keyword, title, author):
Then select the boolean operators (and, or, not) to connect your terms together. You will also choose how you want MetaFind to look for your terms. In the example below, we are looking for information about banned books. We've chosen to search for "banned AND (books or literature)" instead of "banned AND books (OR literature)." We could also narrow our search by using NOT: "banned AND books (NOT pornography)"
After you have created your search, select your resources. Take care not to pick too many as your results list will be very lengthy and your search not as effective. Remember that a maximum of five sources is best.
MetaFind defaults to a maximum of 10 results per resource. You can increase this number using these selectors on the main search page:
Wait for the resources to complete their searches. Then review your results.
Next: Navigating Your Search Results