Orbis is the Yale Library catalogue that includes many of the holdings in the library systems. It does not include newspaper or journal articles or items held by the Law School.
For help with articles, please contact your personal librarian or subject specialist. For items held by the Law School, please search the Morris Library catalogue. We are hoping to unify these different catalogues in one search engine in 2014.
Help with research (basic tips on entering key words in Orbis)
There are many ways to narrow your search in Orbis – you can search by keyword, title, author, subject or call number. You can find these options by clicking the drop-down menu next to the search box on Orbis.
Another great way to filter search results on Orbis is by setting “quick limits” – you can narrow your results by type – i.e. books, microform, sound recordings, archives and manuscripts (Note: you can only use these filters if you selected “keyword” or “title” above). You can find the “quick limits” drop-down menu directly below the search box on Orbis.
Also – you can filter your search – on the search results list, there will be a box on the right that reads “filter your search.”
Find a book/item on Orbis that was really helpful and you would like more materials like it? You can visit the Orbis entry for the item – it will give you a call number (a series of letters and numbers that identifies the book) and the subjects it is listed under. The library organizes items by subject, so if you search Orbis through either the call number or the subject, you will find items the library has that are similar to the item you originally found.
Saving Orbis Records for Specific Items
If you found an excellent resource you want to save for future reference, open the Orbis entry about the item. If you scroll down to the bottom of the entry, you will find a handle, which is the permanent link to the Orbis entry (ex: http://hdl.handle.net/….). Below is an example Orbis entry.
Orbis Entries FAQs
What does it mean if an item on Orbis is in “LSF”?
An item that is in LSF is in a storage facility off-campus. However, you can request this item by clicking the “request delivery” button in the Orbis entry of the item you want to use. It should take about one business day for the book to be delivered to a Yale library and be ready for pickup.
What does it mean if an item on Orbis says “in transit”?
An item that is “in transit” has been requested for delivery by a patron and is on its way to one of the Yale libraries.
What does it mean if an item on Orbis is "oversized"?
An oversized item is larger than a standard book, so it is shelved in a different place in the Sterling stacks. If an item has a plus sign after its call number (i.e. G1201 P2 R35 1969 (LC)+ Oversize), the item is shelved separately, where a label with the call number followed by plus sign is. For more help, check out the Sterling Memorial Library Stack guide.
There are many popular citation tools, including EndNote, RefWorks and Zotero. For help on creating citations and to compare the different tools, visit the Citation Management library guide or the Yale College Writing Center's website.
When you are off campus, you will use Virtual Private Network (VPN), a free program on your laptop or desktop computer that connects to the Yale network. This way, you will still have access to databases and journals Yale is subscribed to. To download VPN, visit this website.
1. Download and install the VPN client software, called AnyConnect.
2. Each time you want to use Yale resources, e.g. library e-journals or databases, start the AnyConnect program.
3. Login using your NetID and password in the AnyConnect window and click "connect."
Full instructions here, visit this website.
If you have any questions, contact the Help Desk at 203-432-9000 or email helpdesk@yale.edu or contact your local support person.
Yale University Library – Mobile Apps For Research on the Go!
Most of these will require the VPN app to gain access to the databases. Download the VPN below and see your personal librarian for help with authentication keys for apps like EBSCOhost and Gale/Access My Library!
VPN (To Access Content Yale Is Subscribed To)
VPN (Cisco AnyConnect) |
Arts and Humanities
ARTstor | ||
NAXOS Music Library | ||
Smithsonian Global Sound Create an account with your Yale email – you can create playlists and send them to your mobile device or send individual songs |
General Category (useful for everyone)
Social Science
HEIN | |
Library of Congress – Congressional Record | |
Psychiatry Online | |
Social Science Research Network | |
The Chronicle of Higher Education (iPad only |
Science and Medicine