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SOLO - Search Oxford Libraries Online: Searching and ordering

If you need help with SOLO, take a look at this guide for tips on searching, managing results and using your SOLO account.

Searching and ordering

Please note: Electronic Legal Deposit is not the same as commercially available digital material - it is a special collection. All the Legal Deposit Libraries are bound by the same UK legislation that restricts access to this material.

For more information, please see our library guide: https://libguides.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/eld-explained

If you urgently require access to a book, please use our book recommendation form at https://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/finding-resources/recommendations and the Bodleian Libraries will investigate purchasing an ebook or print copy for you.

Tips on browsing

How do I narrow search results to a particular library collection?

How do I sort/refine my search results?

How can I export my search results?

How do I search by journal title?

How do I search for an article?

Why can't I access all of the results?

How do I save a search and set up updates for new articles?

How do I order a scanned chapter?

How do I order items from closed stacks?

How do I use advanced search?

What do the coloured circles/traffic lights, green, amber, red dotssignify?

Finding a book in SOLO video transcript

Tips on browsing

Use the drop-down menu to the right of the search bar to select a search option - keep scrolling down for more options (see narrowing your search results down to a particular library)  'Search Everything' searches both 'Oxford Collections' and 'Articles'. To refine your results further see 'How do I sort/refine my search results' Vary keywords to get different results. 

Screenshot of dropdown menu showing searching options

Once you have submitted a search and retrieved some results, you can browse the hyperlinks in a bibliographic record for author and subject. If a book is a published as part of a series you can click on the link to see other titles in that series. 

Screenshot showing how to click on links in bibliographic record

To browse databases that are relevant to your subject area go to the Databases A-Z list. Select your subject from the dropdown menu and a list of relevant databases will be returned to for you to search.

Screenshot shows how to narrow your search in the database library guide

 How do I narrow search results to a particular library collection?

In the list of resources to the right of the search bar, either start typing the first letters of the library or collection you wish to search or use the scroll bar to navigate through the list. Click on the location to choose it.  

 Screenshot shows how to narrow your search to holdings of a particular library or collection using dropdown menu

You can also refine your search results by library by using the search filter 'Library' on the left as described in the section below. 

The three most recent searches with different locations will be remembered by the system for the duration of the session. They will display at the top of the list with a clock icon. 

Image shows The three most recent searches with different locations will be remembered by the system for the duration of the session. They will display at the top of the list with a clock icon. 

How do I sort/refine my search results?

Finding a book in SOLO video transcript

 On the left hand side of the results screen, use 'Sort by' to order your search results.

Image showing sort options in SOLO search results

Use the filters to refine your search. Expand the list by clicking on the red arrows. Navigate up and down the filters by using the side bar to the right of the list.

Image of SOLO results filter

You can also exclude results with a particular value by clicking on the check box to the right of the entry in a facet list.

Image showing how to tick to the right of a resource type/s to exclude from results

How can I export my search results?

You can export results from the brief results page (shown below), from a full record display (once you have clicked through to a particular title), or from your 'Favourites'. To export from brief results, click on the three dots and select your chosen option. 

Image shows how to export records

How do I search by journal title? 

  • Search by journal title in 'Search Everything or 'Oxford Collections'.

  • You may see up to three versions of the same journal. The print version, the purchased online version, which is always shown with a green circle and the Electronic Legal Deposit version, always shown with an red circle. 

Screenshot from SOLO showing three version of a journal, one print, one online subscription and one electronic legal deposit.

E-journals video transcript

How do I search for an article?

To search for a specific article or to browse articles select the 'Articles' search option. Results will return both purchased online content and Electronic Legal Deposit versions. If we only hold a copy in print format you will need to search at journal title level in 'Search Everything' or 'Oxford Collections'.

a screenshot from SOLO showing an article search

Finding an article in SOLO video transcript

Why can't I access all of the results?

Access to some of the electronic resources that SOLO searches is restricted by the publishers to members of subscribing institutions. In order to prove that you are entitled to see these results, you will need to log in to SOLO with your Single Sign On.

Image showing prompt in SOLO to sign in to your account

How do I save a search and set up updates for new articles?

  • Sign into your account. Then enter your search term and search in 'Articles'.

Image showing example of a an articles search in SOLO

  • From 'Sort & Filter Results' on the left, choose 'Articles'. You can also include results without full-text access by ticking the relevant box. Now click on the green 'Apply filters' button.

Image showing filter options in results screen

  • At the top of the page you can see the active filters you have chosen. Click on 'Save query'.

Image showing save query button in SOLO results screen

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • There are two ways to set up a notification. Once you have clicked 'Save query', a yellow banner will appear at the top of the screen. This will allow you to set up email notifications to a chosen email. 

Image showing how to set up notifications for search queries in SOLO by clicking 'Turn on notifications' in yellow banner

  • You can also set up a notification via your search history. From here you can chose to be notified by RSS feed if preferred. 

Image showing how to set up notifications for search queries by clicking on 'Search history'

  • Select 'Saved Searches'. From the icons on the right you can choose to set up an RSS feed or get monthly alerts via email. Please note, if you change your search terms you will need to set up a new saved search. You can delete notifications by clicking on the pin on the right. 

Image showing how to turn on notifications for search queries once in your 'Search history'

 

 

 

 

 

Saving your search results video transcript

 How do I order a scanned chapter?

You will need to sign in to your account in SOLO to order scans via the LibraryScan service.

  • Find the item you are interested in in SOLO.
  • Click the LibraryScan button:

Screenshot from SOLO showing the LibraryScan button for a book

  • Fill in the details of the chapter or section that you want. Due to copyright restrictions, we can only provide a scan of one chapter or 5%, whichever is greater. This does not expire, so you cannot request one chapter on one day and another chapter the next day. 
  • You are limited to one request per day so that staff can keep up with demand. Not all books are available for LibraryScan (e.g. rare books, or books in college libraries). 

Using Scan and Deliver video transcript

How do I order items from closed stacks?

You will need to sign in to your account in SOLO to order an item held in the closed stacks. You have two options: 1) Request an electronic copy of an item to be sent to you via email using the OffSiteScan service; 2) request the physical item to a reading room in a library. See the instructions below for both methods. 

Requesting a physical item to a reading room

  • Make sure you are signed into SOLO. Having conducted a search, click 'Find & Request' in the results page for the item you are interested in.

Image showing 'Find and request' button for item in SOLO

  • To request the item to a reading room, click 'Request'. Remember to book a seat in the library you order it to at the same time.

Request button in SOLO for a closed stack item

  • When ordering an item to a reading room, you need to select the location and click 'Send request' to complete the process.

Image showing how to select the library you would like the item you are placing a hold on to be sent to

 

 

Requesting an electronic copy of an item to be sent via email using the OffSiteScan service

  • Make sure you are signed into SOLO. Having conducted a search, click 'Find & Request' in the results page for the item you are interested in.

Image showing 'Find and request' button for item in SOLO

  • To order an electronic copy to be sent to you via email, click OffSiteScan.

Off Site Scan button in SOLO

  • Click ‘Continue’ and complete the next steps, giving details of the section you need, agreeing to the copyright declaration and confirming your email address.

Scan and Deliver video transcript

How do I use advanced search?

Advanced Search has additional options to help make your search more specific. For instance, you can narrow down by title, publisher, year, and resource type (such as journals) amongst others.

Image showing advanced search screen in SOLO

 

What do the coloured circles/traffic lights, green, amber, red dotssignify?

green dot The University's collections of ebooks, ejournals, online articles and databases available from our publisher subscriptions.  

 amber dotFull-text access to this item may be available but restrictions may apply. For example content on ORA.

 

red dot Full-text access is not available, or only under very restricted circumstances. For example, Electronic Legal Deposit content which can only be accessed on Bodleian Libraries PCs.