Using OneSearch is easy but it can be a little tricky for doing research in many multidisciplinary subject areas including this one. Here are some tips to help you use it.
Use the ADVANCED SEARCH option found to the left of the OneSearch search box on the library homepage.
At the first opportunity, get in the habit of signing in. Signing in lets you see more options and allows you to request books, articles and other materials that the Pollak Library does not own from other CSUs and other libraries.* There are certain databases that will only be searched once you are logged in.**
OneSearch emphasizes full text. Abstract databases and Index databases -- SOME IMPORTANT DATABASES ARE IN THESE CATEGORIES -- can be excluded from your search results until you expand your results. Here is how to do this: Once you have done a search, look for a sentence below the search box that says: Didn't find what you are looking for? Click here to include Results from Other Libraries (This may seem misleading as you are actually getting more results from our library as well as those from other libraries. We may actually have access to the full-text in another database we own or we can request it from another library.)
Examine the other possible options in Refine my Results column to narrow your search.
If you are still having trouble come to the researchdesk or contact me at the email to the right.
*Including books that are checked out here at CSUF!
**Please note that not all of our databases are actually being searched by OneSearch. We are adding them as quickly as possible. If you go to the databases tab on the Pollak Library homepage and browse by Database Name, you can see which databases are being searched. They have the OneSearch symbol