Current is&t Issue

Volume 20

No. 4  March/April 2005

MIT Libraries Working with Google on Scholar

The MIT Libraries have collaborated with Google to give MIT faculty and students greater access to materials retrieved through Google Scholar searches. Google Scholar, launched in November 2004, is designed to locate scholarly literature – such as peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, and preprints – on the Web. While some of these materials, such as those found in DSpace@MIT, are available for free, in most instances, users can’t gain access to the full text of publications without a subscription or other form of payment.

By collaborating in a test project with Google, the Libraries are able to provide the MIT community with access to most of the 20,000-plus journals and other serials to which the MIT Libraries subscribe. Google Scholar now automatically recognizes connections originating from the MIT campus and shows an “MIT Access” link to full-text articles found in the electronic versions of these publications. If an electronic version isn’t available through Google Scholar, the Libraries may own a print version. In this instance, users should try searching the Libraries’ online catalog, Barton, or VERA: e-journals + databases.

In addition, by going to Scholar Preferences, MIT users can choose MIT as their preference (certificates required). This allows Google Scholar to identify the computer as part of the MIT community, even from off campus.

Testing and Feedback
Google Scholar is currently a beta service. As the MIT Libraries work with Google on improvements for the MIT community, your feedback is welcome. You can send comments to <webmaster@libraries.mit.edu>. For more information, see Making Google Scholar Work for You.

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