Library Briefings

Introducing Einstein

The Library adds a search system with a famous name

Northwestern University Library is introducing a new system that makes it easier for faculty and students to search scholarly resources. Einstein provides significant new functionality for locating and searching indexes, databases, e-journals, and full-text articles.

The Einstein system is designed with a number of special features, including “QuickStart,” which is recommended for undergraduate students at the beginning of the research process. For this feature, Northwestern librarians have preselected a group of multidisciplinary databases as a starting point. With "Quickstart" users can search all preselected databases simultaneously and quickly retrieve a list of citations to relevant articles and other types of references.

More advanced searching is facilitated through a feature called “Metasearch.” As with “QuickStart,” this option allows the user to search across multiple databases simultaneously. The key difference with "Metasearch" is that the user's research topic guides the selection of databases to be searched. For example, a user researching human-computer interaction might choose to do one simultaneous search of three databases: PsycINFO, Internet and PC Abstracts, and Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts. The result is a combined list of citations from all three sources. Although many of the Library's databases support this functionality, some do not and the Library is working with its vendors to make their resources “Metasearch” compatible. In addition, faculty and students continue to have the ability to connect directly to a database and search using its native interface.

The “Find Database” and “Find e-journal” functions of Einstein allow the researcher to locate a database or electronic journal by exact title or by title keywords. In addition, users can browse by subject area to discover database resources that are relevant to a specific discipline or topic.

Finally, Einstein offers a “My Space” feature that allows users, once logged in with their NETids, to "collect" favorite databases, e-journals, citations (which may then be saved to Endnote or RefWorks), and search preferences. Thereafter, when the user logs in, his view of Einstein will be customized based on these preferences.

Einstein is now available from the Library’s home page. The Library continues to work to optimize the user interface and tweak the system to make it more efficient. In the meantime, please take a look at the latest advanced tool to help with scholarly research. And remember the name Einstein.

Frank Cervone and Jeannette Moss