New honni website

The new honni website uses advanced web searching to combine book and article searching in a single interface to make resources easier to find. The new approach provides a radically different way of searching for library resources and has required complex and detailed development work which will be ongoing for some time. Please bear with us in this initial phase as we complete the full range of enhancements.

We are keen to know what you think of the new site. Do you find it easier to use? Are you able to access easily the resources you are looking for? Do you like the look and feel? Or any other comments you may wish to make.

Your Comments

29 May 2012

We have received comments from some people expressing concern about the new search facility.  Your feedback is much appreciated.  Posts received to date, however, were so general in nature that it was difficult to respond in any useful way.  After speaking to each blogger individually we have identified the specific problems as follows:

You asked us how to access e-journals on the new system.
All you have to do is type the journal title into the search box.  When the title is displayed click on the link with the most suitable date range.  Do not click on the icon.

You asked us how to access databases.
Just type the database name (e.g. Medline or Cinahl) into the search box, and click the link which says ‘Go to this resource’.  You can then carry out a detailed literature search as before.

You asked about logging in. 
To reduce the number of logins you now only have to login at the point you access the full text of an article or connect to a database.

You asked about the Advanced Search.
This only searches titles on the catalogue.  It does not apply when you click the Articles tab. As always, to do an advanced search for articles you need to do this from within a specific database.  We are considering either renaming ‘Advanced Search’ to ‘Advanced Catalogue Search’, or removing it altogether.

When providing comments please be as specific as possible. We will contact individuals to explore the problem in greater detail and offer assistance as required.

The new system works in a very different way from the previous one, and is based on the principle that initial searching should be as simple as possible.  Library staff are running training sessions throughout the Trusts to help users make the transition, and can always be contacted by phone or email at any time (http://www.honni.qub.ac.uk/Contacts/).