How to Search for Articles

Logging into the NLU Library from off campus

NOTE: To access the library's databases from off campus, you must first log in to your My NLU Portal account.
  1. Go to the NLU home page at www.nl.edu. Then click on “My NLU Portal.”
  2. Type in your user name and password. Your USER NAME is the first letter of your first name + the first 5 letters of your last name + the last 4 digits of your Social Security number in lower case letters.
    EXAMPLES: George Frederick Washington, SSN 222-44-8888 is gwashi8888 OR John Doe, SSN 1111-44-4567 is jdoe4567
  3. Your initial PASSWORD is the same as your user name. After you log in for the first time, the system will tell you that your password has expired. You will then need to change your password by following the directions on the screen.
  4. If your password is not accepted or you do not remember your password, call the 24/7-computer help desk at 800-443-5522, xHELP (x4357) or 866-813-1177.
  5. You will need to change the time that the Portal will stay online. To change the timeout, click “My Account” in the top left corner of the Portal. On the right, change your timeout to 180 minutes, and then click on “Save Changes.” Then you will need to log out and log back in for the changes to take effect. You will only need to do this once.
  6. Once you have logged into the NLU Portal, click on the “NLU Library” link under NLU RESOURCES.

Searching for Articles in EBSCOHost databases

  1. Once you are on the NLU Library’s home page, click on Articles under “Find It” in the top left quadrant of the page.
  2. Journal article databases are organized by Subject and by A-Z. Click on the "Databases by Subject" link.
  3. Choose a subject area (i.e. Business, Education, Psychology). This will take you to the NLU databases that contain articles in your subject area. It is a good idea to begin your search in the first database listed.
    Note: For some subjects, you have the option of searching multiple EBSCOHost subject databases. For example, you can click on "EBSCOHost Education Databases" and search multiple databases simultaneously. 
  4. Type your topic keywords in the search boxes provided. Type one keyword in per box.
  5. If you would like only to search for articles that are available in full text, scroll down and check the box next to “Full Text.” However, by doing this you may miss some good articles that are relevant to your topic. Then click search.
  6. When the results of your search appear, click on the title of the article to see the full citation record, which includes the abstract (summary of article) and list of Subject Terms/Descriptors.
  7. If the article is full text, you will see a link for either a PDF Full Text or HTML Full Text or both. Click on either link to view the full text article. You can print, email, or save to disk. NOTE: If you have a slow computer, the PDF Full Text article may not load because they are scanned images of the article, which require a lot of memory.
  8. If the article(s) you want are not full text, you can request full text articles through the “Request Forms” link on the Library’s Web site (www.nl.edu/library). (See WHAT IF THE ARTICLE I WANT IS NOT AVAILABLE IN FULL-TEXT below).

What if the article I want is not available in full text?

  1. You can request a full text journal article not found in the library’s databases through ILLiad, the electronic delivery and tracking system used by the interlibrary loan office.
  2. From the Library’s Home page, click on Request/Renew Materials under “Get It” in the top right quadrant of the page. Then click on ILLiad.
  3. First time users will need to create an account before requesting materials. Click on the blue “Click here if you are a First Time User” link and follow the directions for creating an account, which includes completing the New User Registration for ILLiad form.
  4. Type your topic keywords in the search boxes provided. Type one keyword in per box.
  5. To request an article or other material, click on the links under New Request in the left sidebar. Note: You will need the citation information of the article to complete the request. Then click “Submit Request”.
  6. You will receive an email notification when the article has been delivered and is available for viewing.
  7. To view the article, go to ILLiad, login to your account, and click on “Electronically Received Articles” under View in the left sidebar.
  8. For more information about ILLiad, visit http://www.nl.edu/library/about/illiad_faq.cfm, or for more detailed instructions, visit http://libguides.nl.edu/content.php?pid=29776&sid=217908.

 

For more information or help, call a campus library at 800.443.5522, Chicago x3376 / Lisle x4530 / North Shore x2288 / Wheeling x5503. Or email libref@nl.edu.