University of Southern Maine

The Online Search Service is intended to help patrons access hard-to-find information which may be indexed in sources that are not accessible through the USM Libraries’ web page or in the Libraries’ print collection.

No. A mediated online search is not intended as a substitute for basic research in common sources. Please ask a reference librarian if you need help using our online catalog or the end-user databases accessible through the library’s web page. These resources are a better place to start because they are more cost-effective, and the skills you develop by learning to search them will help you with future research.

We subscribe to an online service called DIALOG, which allows us to search over 400 databases on a wide variety of topics. Most of these databases are bibliographic – in other words, they contain citations (and sometimes abstracts) to published material such as journal articles, conference proceedings and dissertations. A smaller number have full text or directory information. A complete listing of DIALOG databases and their descriptions is available at http://support.dialog.com/publications/dbcat/ or at the Reference Desk.

There are DIALOG databases dealing with almost every area of science, technology, business, the social sciences, and the humanities, although DIALOG’s greatest strengths lie in business and the sciences. Some databases cover only a particular type of literature such as dissertations or conference papers; others enable us to search cited references.

The primary advantage is the large number of databases accessible through DIALOG, which makes it possible to find information that is not included in our printed indexes or the databases available through the Libraries’ web page. In some cases, DIALOG gives us access to information from a longer time period than the Mariner or USM licensed versions of the same databases. In addition, our training and experience as searchers combined with the flexibility of the software often enables us to retrieve a larger number of pertinent results than most patrons find in our end-user databases.

DIALOG output varies depending on the database used and your requirements. The most common output of a search is a bibliography, with each citation containing a full reference to the original publication (author, title, source, etc.). Many databases supply abstracts as well. In some cases, your output may be full text of an article or report, or a table or chart containing the information you seek.

Call or stop by the Reference Desk in the Portland (780-4272) or Gorham Campus Library. After discussing your topic with a librarian, you may be asked to fill out a search request form outlining the information you need.

Searches are free for USM students, faculty and staff conducting university business. Local businesses and other patrons who are not affiliated with the University pay the library’s costs plus a 10% service charge. Please see a reference librarian if you would like to discuss your needs and measures we can take to control the cost of your search.

Generally, searches are conducted within 48 hours of your request.

Unfortunately not. Although the DIALOG databases provide us with a great deal of information not found in other resources, they generally do not give us access to the journal literature prior to the early 1970s, nor do they index archival material or analyze the contents of books. If you need a slave narrative, a news account of the Kennedy assassination, or a picture of an aardvark, you are more likely to find help in books or an earlier, printed index.
If you have questions about whether a DIALOG search is appropriate for your topic, please ask at the Reference Desk or call 780-5662.