Your library has a wide collection of searchable databases that will make your quest for information satisfactory and efficient! For the fastest and easiest approach, you may use the quick search located at the top of E-Reference List and below. It searches multiple databases at once. The E-Reference List also gives a description of each and provides a link to search each single collection. If you know the name of the databases you prefer, you may be able to locate them faster by switching to the A to Z listing.

There are several landing pages that access “interfaces”, as computer users will call them, that you can use to search many, several or one database at a time and receive “aggregate” results. Some of the individual resources have their own interface that must be opened individually, such as the Auto Repair Reference Center, BYKI, Ancestry.com, and the Learning Express practice tests. The pop out menu appearing when you mouse over E-Reference List (at left) offers one-click access to many of the interfaces from the front page; others are available on the E-Reference List webpage.

Logging In Remotely:
From outside the library you will be asked for your library card number to see into many of these resources. This is not intended just to restrict access; but to make them possible for the library to provide. There are several that require other passwords or free accounts to use; please call the library at 423-757-5310 for this information. From inside library buildings, the green coded “catalog” computers can access most of them without providing a number.

Aggregator Interfaces (searching multiple databses at a time):

Multi-Search
Using the Quick Search boxes for Multiple Databases accesses this interface from Ebsco. Quick Search automatically returns Full Text results from a keyword search. You may open the full interface by clicking on Search E-Reference at left. This is a wonderful new addition to our full service searching options. For advanced researchers, the results page can also be custom configured, by using the limiters on the left and right of the results page, to include or limit to in-house library materials and/or access specific collections from different providers. By using the Search Options on the landing page for the full interface, you can single out specific authors or monthly publications. For help with these, see a librarian for a brief introduction or go to Ebsco Discovery Service Tutorial for brief video instructions. Read Managing Search Results below for further instruction about using your results.

Integrated Search
Search user selected databases or by predetermined subject groups with keywords or other options. In the E-Reference List page the symbol shown is used to identify which resources can be accessed from EbscoHost Integrated Search. Read Managing Search Results below for further instruction about using your results.

Gale PowerSearch (Tennessee Electronic Library)
One of our providers, Gale Cengage, provides a combination search tool as well. Our arrangement provides access to the collections we receive from them as part of Tennessee Electronic Library. To access this interface, click the PowerSearch link at the top of the page in E-Reference List. Search user selected databases with keywords or other options. In E-Reference List the symbol shown is used to identify which resources can be accessed from Gale PowerSearch. Go to http://www.gale.cengage.com/powersearch/enhanced/ for links to specialized tutorials.

Newsbank
This accesses several newspaper indexes through the Tennessee Electronic Library. In E-Reference List the symbol shown is used to identify which resources can be accessed from Newsbank.

Managing Search Results

There are so many different interfaces available over our large number of collections, that it will only be possible to provide detailed instructions for a few of them. If you need to use something that you can't figure out, please ask a librarian for brief instructions or answers to specific questions.

In Multi-Search and Integrated Search:

After clicking on a title or full text link of an item, you will be viewing the entire record available in the collection. At this time the right link panel changes to display all the actions that can be taken to use the information. You can:

Print - click to open the print menu. Opening this process here instead of in the browser menu tries to insure that you won't have to print all the toolbars and navigation associated with the webpage - just the article. If this doesn't work in your system, select the text you want to print using the mouse; then use the browser's toolbar to open the print menu, checking the Selection box before you click Okay.

Email - click here and enter an email address to send a link or an attachment depending on the email client or format of the material. The reciever, yourself or a cohort, will be able to open the text on another computer while viewing the email, provided any applications needed such as Adobe Acrobat Reader or Microsoft Word are locally installed.

Export - if you have media with you such as a flash drive or other portable device, you can save the file to carry away with you for later use. You can sometimes select the format that you prefer

Add to Folder - You can collect articles in a folder to print, email or export all at once. Library card members can create a MyEbsco account and save folders for future use.

Other features: You can click the Cite symbol and receive a formated citation. Copy and paste these directly into your bibliography or notes. You can Bookmark items. You can also copy and paste a permaLink, a direct link to this article for repeat use in emails, presentations, or documents. Those usng the link may be required to authenticate with a library card for access.

The left side of a page displaying an entire record has links to relaed information such as other items in your results, illustrations, and other issues of the same periodical.

In PowerSearch:

After searching and viewing your results list, you can click on one of the entry titles or a full text link to view the full body of text itself. From this display you can:

Print - click to open the print menu. Opening this process here instead of in the browser menu tries to insure that you won't have to print all the toolbars and navigation associated with the webpage - just the article. If this doesn't work in your system, select the text you want to print using the mouse; then use the browser's toolbar to open the print menu, checking the Selection box before you click Okay.

Email - click here and enter an email address to send a link or an attachment depending on the email client or format of the material. The reciever, yourself or a cohort, will be able to open the text on another computer while viewing the email, provided any applications needed such as Adobe Acrobat Reader or Microsoft Word are locally installed.

Download - Select PDF or HTML (webpage) file to save to a flash drive.

Other features: Bookmark, Share (social networks).

A free unique account can be created by each user to save either a results list or your searches to rerun at a later time. Click Sign In to start.

This is a very brief overview of the features available in PowerSearch. Go to http://www.gale.cengage.com/powersearch/enhanced/ for links to specialized tutorials.