Library Research Level 3

Google Scholar, OC Libraries, and Interlibrary Loan

Google Scholar

Google Scholar is a type of Google search that brings back records of scholarly journal articles and books, sometimes with full-text.

The benefits of using Google Scholar are:

• Your results are from exclusively scholarly sources.
• It's free to search and it links you to some full-text sources.
• You can link results to what is available in full-text at OC Libraries.

The drawbacks are:

• Articles can be dated. Use the date range filters on the left side of your results page to limit to more recent articles.
• Many links are not full-text (you are often prompted to pay for article--don't do it!). Either limit to full-text sources by clicking on results that have a link on right side of your results page, or use our Interlibrary Loan service described at the bottom of the page.

The following video gives you a 1-minute overview of Google Scholar:

Directions for Linking Google Scholar to OC Library Databases

1. Go to Google Scholar Settings
2. Select "Library Links"
3. Use the search box to select Olympic College, and [save]

Next, when you search Google Scholar, you will see a "Full-text @ OC" link to the right of articles that have full-text access in OC library databases. 

Interlibrary Loan

If you still can't get access to materials through Google Scholar or through Olympic College Libraries, try getting access (for free!) through our Interlibrary Loan service. It's easy to use, and will give you timely access to materials from libraries all over the United States and beyond.