How to use our new Discovery Search

Discovery is a search tool that returns results from multiple databases, including the library collections.

You will find research starters, academic journal articles, streaming videos, newspaper and magazine articles, primary sources, and more. Materials held in the library areas at Blue Bell and Pottstown, such as books in print, DVDs, and popular reading materials also appear in Discovery, which points users toward their physical locations. 

• Search many academic databases at once, including our MCCC Libraries collections.
• Immediate search results with links to millions of full-text resources.
• Links for Inter-Library Loan when items are not instantly available.
• Filter searches by date, source type, subject, full text availability, and more.
• Detailed information about each item (for example, author-supplied abstracts, subjects, and more)
• Indexing from thousands of journals and publications worldwide.

1. Use the left column tools to limit your search results...
   • Select "Library Catalog" to limit your search to books, videos or other items in our MCCC libraries.
   • Select the "Full Text from MontCo" to limit your results to materials you can access immediately.
   • Select a particular "Source Type" to limit your search specifically to books, magazines, or academic journals. 
   • Additional limits such as subject and geography can focus your results.
2. Better search terms
   • Keep an eye on the subject terms listed with each result. Use these words to improve your search.
   • The search tools will prioritize results that include all the terms you have entered. For example: children television violence will find items that contain all 3 terms.
   • To search by phrase, enclose your words in quotation marks. For example: "global warming"
   • Use the asterisk * symbol to search all variations on a word. For example: nurs* will provide results for nurse, nurses, nursing, nurses role, nurse practitioner, nursing care, nursing home, etc.