Savvy Searcher

Ovid Databases – Local Holdings Limit

We recently added a new feature to our Ovid databases that allows you to limit your searches to journals owned by Himmelfarb Library. This feature is available on all of our databases that are searched using the Ovid system including MEDLINE, HealthSTAR, CINAHL, and PsycINFO, plus others.

As illustrated in the search below, conduct your search as you normally would and then choose the check box for "Local Holdings" in the Limits section.

As in the search results displayed below, you will see the results of your search followed by the results of limiting the search to Local Holdings. In this case, there are 54 articles in MEDLINE on these topics, and 37 of these are available in Himmelfarb Library. Using the Local Holdings feature, you have eliminated citations to articles in journals to which Himmelfarb Library doesn't have a print subscription.

When you look through your search results, you will continue to see a note in bright red text with each citation where Himmelfarb Library owns a complete or partial set of the journal.

If you choose not to use the Local Holdings limit, you will still be able to quickly recognize Himmelfarb titles via the bright red text and will also see citations to journal articles where Himmelfarb does not own the title. You can be assured that Himmelfarb Library has a complete or nearly complete set of a journal when the bright red holdings note says "Himmelfarb Library holds title." A holdings note that states that "Himmelfarb Library has partial holdings" means that we own a partial set of this journal; you should check the Library Catalog to make sure that we own the particular issue that you need.

Advanced Searching: PsycINFO and the Local Holdings Limit

While the Local Holdings limit will work in all of Himmelfarb's bibliographic databases, special attention is necessary when using it in the PsycINFO database. Because PsycINFO contains books, book chapters, and other items in addition to journal articles, using the Local Holdings limit can have unintended consequences.

When you use the Local Holdings Limit in PsycINFO, your search is automatically restricted to journals that Himmelfarb Library owns. In this way, all books and book chapters are eliminated from the search results, whether or not Himmelfarb Library owns those items. This occurs because the Ovid system keeps tracks of which journals Himmelfarb Library owns, but doesn't track the books.

If you like to use the Local Holdings limit, limit your search that way and look through the results. Then, use the Limit icon (represented by a target) and go back and limit your original search to books and book chapters. This way, you will still see all of the items that interest you.

Troubleshooting – If you have any difficulty with your database searches, don't hesitate to contact us. You can telephone Himmelfarb Library's Reference Desk at (202) 994-2850 or send an email to library@gwumc.edu.