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Home Page

A. Top links

    • Catalog Home -- Clear any existing search results and return to the catalog home page.
    • Journals A-Z-- Search for journals by title or ISSN and view an A-Z list of journal titles.
    •  Browse Search -- Browse for authors, titles, MeSH, series, or NLM call numbers.
    • Find Citation -- Find a specific journal article, journal or book by using citation information.
    •  Collection Discovery – Curated collections of NLM records.
    • ILL Information -- Information about Interlibrary loan at NLM.
    • Copyright -- Information about copyright restrictions on NLM resources.
    • Other Databases -- Licensed database and resources available onsite at NLM.
    • QR – Create a QR code link to the current page. This function will work on any page within the catalog site.

B. Search Scopes

    • Library Catalog: Searches bibliographic data for journals, books, electronic resources, and other items in the NLM collection.
    • Digital Collections: Searches NLM's distinctive digital content including images, personal papers, and other digitized historical materials.
    • Library Catalog + Digital Collections: Searches across the entire NLM collection by combining results from both the Library Catalog and Digital Collections.

C. Natural language Search

The Natural Language Search feature allows users to formulate queries in ordinary spoken language and automatically converts them into the structured format compatible with the catalog’s advanced search. The transformation of the original query into the structured format is performed using generative AI, via ChatGPT 4.1Mini. The elements of the query, such as resource types, date filters, full text preferences, language, and advanced fields like Title or Subject, are classified by the AI system, which uses this information to generate the basic Boolean query and then expands it using related concepts to create six permutations of the basic query. The query parameters can be edited after the search for improved results if necessary.

D. Advanced search

The advanced search function allows the user to specify additional lines of criteria beyond what is available with the basic search. The search scope, fields, resource types, language, and dates can all be defined to provide a more accurate and specific result. The Search section of the help guide contains more detailed information.

E. Content

The home page provides a list of resources related to the catalog. Predefined searches allow for specific queries to be accessed quickly. Other links provide information on NLM reading room services, other NLM products, and help documentation for the LocatorPlus Catalog.

F. Report a problem

Feedback may be provided using this button if there is an issue with broken links, search results, MARC records, or any other problems.

 

Last Reviewed: August 20, 2026