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Training & Documentation: Dragon OneSearch/Primo

Searching our Dragon OneSearch

What is Primo/Dragon OneSearch?

Think of Primo/Dragon OneSearch as the "Google" of library resources.  Dragon OneSearch searches almost all of the library's databases and catalogs simultaneously, along with a selection of open-source eBooks and articles from trusted web sources.  The results list will contain a wide variety of books, eBooks, videos, images, and articles from newspapers, magazines, and scholarly peer-reviewed journals.  Websites are NOT included in these results.

Searching Primo

The "Basic Search" box lets you search for articles, books, e-books, encyclopedia entries, etc. all at once.

The "All Resources" drop-down arrow lets you search the library catalog (books and videos), article databases, and Course Reserves separately.

When you get your results, use the “Refine my results” filters to further specify a publication date, resource type, etc. 

The "Advanced Search" screen gives you more options for specifying your search (title keyword, subject keyword, course instructor, etc).

When should I use Primo?

  • You want to view a wide variety of material types in one search.
  • You only need a little information to get started on your research project.
  • You are ok with encountering occasional odd results and broken links.

Use indivual research databases if:

  • You want a thorough examination of your topic--searching individual databases will usually yield more thorough results.
  • You need to run a very specific search (e.g. a peer-reviewed article describing evidence based practice, written by an RN)
  • You need newspaper articles or articles on local/regional issues.
  • You do not want to deal with occasional odd results and broken links.

Advanced Search

EXAMPLE--the following search will retrieve results for books at our library that contain "women" and "science" in the title.