Using IU-Link

Many databases do not have full-text articles available.  Instead, you find an "IU~LINK Check for Availability" button that you can click to find a full-text version of that article in another database. 

Sample Search #1:
Database:   Historical Abstracts (EBSCO)
Search Term:  "Rwanda"

Step 1:    Click on the link.

• When you click it, you get a new window:  the IU-Link window.
  There are three sections:
  - Citation information
  - Electronic or full-text options
  - Print or hardcopy options

Step 2:  Verify the article.

           Make sure the citation information is accurate or the links below will not take you to the correct article.

Step 3:  Choose a link to the full-text, if available.  If not, move to step #4.

• This section has several parts of its own:
   - Coverage - shows which years you have access to.
   - Links to Content: Journal - takes you to a browsing list of that journal
   - Links to Content: Article - takes you directly to the specific article
   - Resource - indicates which databases hold a version of it, takes you to the database's homepage
  
  
• Important:  Take note of the coverage dates.  If your article does not fit within those dates, then it probably is not available through that database.
  
  
• Sometimes, there is a link for a resource called CrossRef.  CrossRef is just another networking tool, not a database.  You can't search it, but it will link to content somewhere else.
  
  

Step #4:  Check for a print copy.

The print (or hardcopy) section allows you to check IUCAT for a print version of the article in the library or the library storage facility.  You can also request the item through interlibrary loan (ILL).