MetaLib and Get it! help
The Quick search > Articles & databases option on the Library home page provides easy access to resources via our MetaLib resource gateway
On this page:
- What are MetaLib and Get it!, and what can I do with them?
- Off-campus access
- What does MetaLib include?
- Video tutorials and printed guides also available
On other MetaLib help pages:
- MetaLib home and general features - including Login, Logout and Turn off auto-refresh
- How do I use Cross-search? - including Link to database, Search, Search terms
- How do I use Find database? - including Database list, Search in database, Search terms
- How do I use Find eJournal?
- What can I do in My Space? - including My records, My databases, My searches/Alerts and Preferences
- Contacts and help
- Known problems with MetaLib and Get it!, and accessibility
What is MetaLib, and what can I do with it?
'MetaLib: your resource gateway' provides you with the following options for exploiting a wide variety of information resources such as catalogues, databases, subject-based Web gateways, and selected internet resources (see the What does MetaLib include? section below for more details). These resources include those that we subscribe to, and free resources selected for inclusion by Subject Librarians. MetaLib also offers various personalisation options. In MetaLib, for the sake of brevity, information resources are collectively referred to as "databases".
Resource discovery using MetaLib:
There are various ways to find resources in MetaLib:
- Cross-search: where databases can be cross-searched or linked to. In cross-search you may choose to view resources categorised by subject or material type, or you can choose from a selection of highlighted resources. Alternative approaches include using the 'find databases to cross-search' function, or, once you have Logged in to MetaLib you may view My databases, i.e. the databases you have previously saved.
- Find database: if you are looking for a particular database to link to, or possibly search from within MetaLib, this option enables you to find databases by title, by category, or by other criteria.
- Find eJournal: if you are looking for a particular journal title, this option enables you to find and link to the electronic journals we have access to.
Linking to databases from MetaLib:
Once you have found a useful database by using Cross-search or Find database, you can link to it by clicking on the database name. This will take you to the database itself in another window, enabling you to use the database-specific searching options offered by the 'native' interface. In many cases linking to the database itself will give you extra search functionality with the potential for better results than those obtained by searching the database from within MetaLib.
Search databases within MetaLib:
Cross-search offers the possibility of cross-searching multiple databases at the same time from within MetaLib, including databases you have saved as My databases. Find database offers a Search in database option to search single databases from within MetaLib. You can save useful searches as My Searches, for re-use at a later date or setting up of automatic alerts of emailed results at regular intervals. Please note that it is now possible to make a 'Quick search for articles via MetaLib' via the Quick search > Articles & databases option on the Library home page (see the Quick search help for further details).
Get it!
Once you have found useful search results in MetaLib using Cross-search or Search in database, you will see 'Get it!' buttons 
displayed against each record. Clicking on a Get it! button will open up a new window with a menu of options to 'Get it!'. Options may include the full text of articles or holdings information in our Library Catalogue. Where we do not have full text access or print holdings a link to our Inter-library loans service will usually be available. You can also add useful results to My records where they can be saved to disk or emailed. Records can also be saved to disk or emailed singly from the Full view of Cross-search results or Results in database.
As well as appearing on MetaLib, we have arranged with key database suppliers to add 'Get it!' buttons or text to their interfaces, eg Web of Science, and we will add it to others when possible. For further information, please visit the Get it! FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) page.
Both MetaLib and Get it! are from Ex Libris, the supplier of Aleph, which powers the Library Catalogue (http://www.lib.bristol.ac.uk/ALEPH/).
Off-campus use
If you are a member of the University it is possible to access many resources via MetaLib and Get it! off-campus, including electronic journals and databases which are normally restricted to use on campus. See the advice and details on our access to external electronic library resources and databases page.
What does MetaLib include?
MetaLib will facilitate your access to the following resources:
- External databases
For finding references to published research, and often the full text. Web of Knowledge and ZETOC are examples. - Electronic books
Access to thousands of online books, most of which cannot yet be found on the Library Catalogue. - Electronic journals
Access to thousands of online journals, which are not yet on the Library Catalogue. - Inter-Library Loans
For material which is not available in our own libraries or on the Internet. - Selected Internet resources
Including links to selected Internet resources including Libraries, archives and catalogues; Online bookshops, and Quick reference tools. - Subject resources
Including subject Internet links information and quick reference tools. - Internet searching
To help you use the Internet effectively there are specialist subject gateways, or more general search engines.
Video tutorials and printed guides also available
- A guide to MetaLib and Get it! is available in print in our libraries, or for download from our Library guides page.
- Using MetaLib - three video tutorials about using MetaLib