Search Alerts: Current Awareness Services

Douglas College students and employees may set up current awareness services for
journal articles, and for new books and videos in the library collection.

The services allow you to specify preferred searches on topics of interest and then to
receive automatic email messages of recently published journal articles, and of new
materials acquired by the Library. Your preferred searches can be changed or updated at
any time.

Notification of journal articles can be set-up through three database search services –
EBSCOhost, ProQuest and Ingenta. EBSCOhost, ProQuest and Ingenta cover a broad
range of journals, magazines and newspapers in all subject areas. All are available on the
Douglas College library web page <http://library.douglas.bc.ca> under the heading
Article Indexes and Databases.

I. How to set up search alerts for the EBSCOhost databases

Academic Search Premier

Alt-HealthWatch
CINAHL/ pre-CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health
Literature)
Clinical Pharmacology
ERIC (Education Resources)
GeoRef
Health Source: Consumer Edition
Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition
PsycArticles
PsycInfo
SPORTDiscus

1. Create a search for email alerting.

• Connect to one of the databases above.
• Click on the Advanced Search tab and do a search of a topic, or search a
specific journal title.
• Click on the Search History/Alerts tab.
• Click on Save Searches/Alerts.

1
 2. Sign in to your Ebscohost account or register.
• Click on I'm a new user.
• The Create a new account window appears. Fill in the form and save.

3. Save the search as an alert.

• The Saved Searches/Alert window appears.
• Fill in a search name, and description if desired.
• Under Save Search As, click on Alert.
• Fill in the form and save.
• Note. Email messages from EBSCO Alerts might be routed to your email
spam or junk mail folder. It is recommended that you add the sender address
EPAlerts@EPNET.COM to your personal address book in your email so that
future alerts will be routed to your mailbox.

II. How to set up search alerts for the ProQuest databases

ABI/INFORM Complete
Canadian Newsstand
CBCA Business
CBCA Reference
Criminal Justice Periodicals
Hoover’s Company Records

1. Connect to one of the databases above.

2. Do a search of a topic, or search a specific journal title.

3. Click on the Set up Alert box, fill in the form and save it.
• You will receive an immediate email message asking you to confirm your
email address in order to receive the alert.
• Note. Email messages from ProQuest Alerts might be routed to your email
spam or junk mail folder. It is recommended that you add the sender address
alerts@proquest.com to your personal address book in your email so that
future alerts will be routed to your mailbox.

2
III. How to set up search alerts for Ingenta

Note that Ingenta is an unrestricted database that operates under a different

pricing model than the EBSCOhost or ProQuest databases. Access to searching
Ingenta is free, but users must often purchase each fulltext article. Douglas
College Library has purchased an institutional license that allows Douglas
College students and employees to set up search alerts, and sometimes to freely
access fulltext articles. If asked to purchase an article, users should contact the
library’s interlibrary loan service to request a copy at no charge
<http://library.douglas.bc.ca/illintro.html >.

1. Connect to Ingenta.

2. Sign in to your Ingenta account or register.

• On the right hand side, click on Need to register? Sign up here.
• Complete the Personal Registration form.

3. Create a search.
• Use Quick Search or Advanced Search to do a search of a topic, or search a
specific journal title.
• Click on Search History on the top.
• Under the Search History tab, mark the desired search, from the drop down
menu choose to Save as an Individual Item, then click on Go.

4. Save the search as an alert.

• Click on Saved Searches.
• Mark the desired search, from the drop down menu choose Create Alert, then
click on Go.
• Use Manage My Ingenta on the right hand side to view and manage your
saved searches and alerts.
• Sign out when you are finished.
• Note. Email messages from Ingenta might be routed to your email spam or
junk mail folder. It is recommended that you add the sender address
search.alerts@ingenta.com to your personal address book in your email so
that future alerts will be routed to your mailbox.

3
 Notification of new materials such as books, audiovisual resources or electronic
resources that have been recently acquired by the Douglas College Library is set up
through the library catalogue.

IV. How to set up a current awareness service for the Douglas College
Library Catalogue

The catalogue lists the holdings in the library’s collection including books, maps,
videos and DVD’s, music scores and recordings, journal titles (both in print and
online formats), government documents titles (both in print and online formats)
and reference materials.

1. Connect to the Douglas College Library catalogue

<http://innopac.douglas.bc.ca>
• Click on My Library Account, enter last name and library barcode number,
and click on Search.
• Click on Search Catalog and do a search.
• Click on Save as preferred search.

2. To view your list of saved searches, click Patron Record at the top of the
screen, and then click Preferred Searches.
• Tick Mark for E-mail next to the desired search.
• Click Update list to save the change.
• Click on Logout.

3. Check under Modify Personal Information to make sure that your listed
email address is correct.
• You will receive weekly email notices of new additions to the library’s
collection according with your chosen preferred searches.

V. How to connect from off-campus

When connecting to databases or online journal articles from off-campus you will
be asked for your last name and the barcode number from your library card. Note
that you may need to reactivate the barcode at the start of each new semester.

For more information, contact Jean Cockburn, Electronic Resources Librarian at

(604) 527-5184 or cockburnj@douglas.bc.ca .

March 2005 jac