These databases cover a wide range of topics.  They can be a good place to start and are good for topics that cross disciplines.

Many of the databases listed to the left only give you the citation and abstract of the article.  So if you've found a perfect article, how do you get to the full text?

1. Check for direct links to full text

Is there a link to the full text from the database?  Click it!

2. Use the Find It! button

The "Find It" button searches Carleton and St. Olaf libraries to see if we have the article and if so, how to access it.  

• If there is online access, click the link. 
• If it's in print, get the call number for the journal -- journals are on the 3rd floor of the library (if the journal is at St. Olaf, use the Request link to have it sent to the Carleton check-out desk for pick-up).
• If you see the following message, Carleton and St. Olaf do not have access. From here you have a few choices.

3. Check Google Scholar before using ILL

Google Scholar indexes scholarly content on the Internet, including content that may be available for free. 

Search by the title of the article in quotes.  If there is free access, it will be linked on the right side next to the results.

NOTE: Google Scholar will also point you to the publisher's site, which will ask you for money to purchase the article if the library doesn't have a subscription to that journal. Don't pay for articles! Use Interlibrary Loan instead.

4. Request from InterLibrary Loan

Request articles we don't have through InterLibrary Loan (aka ILL).  Click the "Interlibrary Loan Request" link from the Find It page (see above).  Log in with your Carleton username and password and the form will be filled out for the article.  Articles will be scanned and sent to you as a pdf, and typically arrive in 2-3 days, but can take longer. 

If you don't have a Find It results page, you can also submit a request manually by logging into the Interlibrary Loan system from the library home page or the link below.