Frequently Asked Questions: Home

You can start your search on the Main Search Page, which has more search options.

How do I find a book?

1. Search HSL Catalog (or Health Sciences Library on the Main Search Page, from the dropdown menu.) If unsuccessful, search Everything (see option 3).  Enter the title, or author, or keyword(s), or subject. Works best with the title.

OR

2. Search by Citation - add either  ISBN or an author's name and the title/keyword(s).

OR

3. Search Everything and use the filters on the left to  limit your results to HSL. Enter the title, or author, or keyword(s), or subject. Works best with the title.

How do I find a journal?

1. Search Journals - both print and online titles will be retrieved.

  OR

2. Search HSL Catalog (or Health Sciences Library on the Main Search Page, from the dropdown menu). Use the filters on the left if too many results are retrieved.  ! One-word titles may not show !    Enter the title, or keyword(s) or subject.

New!  Can I find a specific article?   Yes! many (but not all)

1. Search Everything

2, Use Search by Citation  to enter the citation information. Not all information is required, but a sufficient part of it. This is an example of what information was added for a successful search:

If can get to the article if you search by PMID. 

If you get "No results found" find the journal and then browse the volumes and issues.

Where do I start to research a topic ?

Search Everything, then apply the filters on the left.

Please Note: no single search is comprehensive. It is highly recommended that you also search databases like PubMed, Academic Search Complete, CINAHL, Scopus, etc, separately, to get more and better results.

What is WRLC?

The Washington Research Library Consortium is a collaborative partnership between all DC area academic libraries to shared information resources, services and expertise. LSHSL is a member of WRLC.

 

 

 

Everything  allows you to search:

• All Howard University libraries' collections -- print and electronic.
• Open access publications.
• All WRLC members' collections.
• Shared collections (e.g. Proquest Ebook Central, with 84,000+ books.)
• Bibliographic records harvested from publishers.  This part of  Everything is mainly for information purposes, however, such  materials can be requested via interlibrary loan.

Titles of the books, journals, articles, book chapters, and the titles of all other kinds of materials will be retrieved.

HSL Catalog retrieves:

• HSL print materials (book and journal titles.)
• Howard University e-collections (shared; book and journal titles.)

Journals retrieves:

• HSL print journals.
• Howard University electronic journals (shared.)

Search by Citation allows you to find fast a journal article, a journal, a book.

WRLC  retrieves:

• All kinds of materials held  by the Washington Research Library Consortium members.

 

 

• Use quotation marks to search for an exact phrase (e.g. "elevated potassium.")
• To search for words with different endings use an asterisk after the root of the word ( e.g. nurs*  finds nurse, nurses, nursing, nursed.)
• You do not need to capitalize letters ( e.g. searching for Robins or robins will retrieve the same results.)

Contact any librarian or email us: healthscienceslibrary@howard.edu

How to check out a book:

First make sure you are logged in with your Howard University credentials

1. Find book by using Search By Citation Feature 

2. Click on book you would like

3. Click where it says Request: CLS Request

4. Complete the form that comes up