Boolean Operators are short words used to combine search terms in logical operations. Most databases, discovery layers and search engines recognize them and use them to to bring search results that fulfill the requested operations.The most common are AND, OR and NOT. They are written in capitals to differentiate them from regular keywords.
Check the image below to understand how each of them affects the results of your searches. Parenthesis are used to combine different sets of instructions and to signal the order in which they should happen.
If UR doesn't have the article or book you need, Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is a service that will deliver a copy to you. PDFs of articles usually arrive in two days or less! If you have the citation of the item you wish to request, go to the ILL page: https://illiad.lib.rochester.edu
& log in with your NetID to request an item.
From within any of the library any databases, click the 
button. It will find the full text of your article online if it's available through the libraries. Or, it will search the library catalog for you to see if we have your article in print--or let you request it via Interlibrary Loan.
Looking for books we don't have in the library? Try searching WORLDCAT (either for a title or by keywords on your topic). Click on the button to request a book through ILL.
Still can't find what you're looking for? Please contact me!
