Library Guide for Harvard Extension School

HOLLIS is the library's main search interface. It includes the Harvard library catalog as well as a huge collection of citations for a variety of materials. 

• By default, HOLLIS will search "Catalog & Articles" which includes the Harvard library catalog as well as a huge collection of citations for a variety of materials. You can also change the search box to only search "Library Catalog."
• HOLLIS does not contain everything Harvard owns, and Harvard doesn't own everything in HOLLIS, but we can get you almost anything through services like BorrowDirect and Interlibrary Loan (ILL).
• Remember to sign-in to take full advantage of HOLLIS, especially to see borrowing links and Scan and Deliver links. 

Here are additional details about the different options for searching:

Choose Catalog & Articles if:

• You want to explore the broadest variety of sources
• Your topic is very interdisciplinary or very current
• You already have the title of an article you want

Choose Library Catalog if:

• You want book-length treatments of a topic
• You want to search Harvard's shelves
• You need reliable filters for authors and subjects

If you specifically want to search Harvard's special collections and archives, especially for primary sources, you might want to use HOLLIS for Archival Discovery.

Skilled use of your search words will make a significant improvement in your search results. You will also need to conduct multiple searches and continually revise your search. Assess the titles, summaries/abstracts, and subject headings from search results. Adjust your search based on what you find. The Diagnose Your Search Problems tutorial provides help with adjusting searches.   

• Tips and Tricks for Keyword Searching
  • Use quotation marks for exact phrases.
    • "extrinsic motivation"
  • Connect search terms and phrases with AND, in capital letters, to find all of the search words.
    • motivation AND engagement AND leadership
  • Connect search terms and phrases with OR, in capital letters, to find at least one of the search words. 
    • workplace OR "work environment" OR office
  • Enclose synonyms or interchangeable concepts in parentheses.  
    • motivation AND leadership AND engagement AND (workplace OR "work environment" OR office)
  • Truncate words with an asterisk to pick up alternatives. 
    • motivat* AND engage* AND leader*

Using the Filters after searching helps narrow down the search results to what you are looking for.

• Examples of filtering your results 
  • Show only: Peer-reviewed articles
    • Limits to articles from journals designated as peer-reviewed.
  • Show only: Online
    • Limits results to online only.
  • Date:
    • Set a date range to limit to current information, or limit to past dates to help find primary sources.
  • Resource Type: Books, or Reference Entries
    • Limit results to books, or reference entries, to find general overviews rather than specific research articles.

Browsing in the catalog is helpful when you're trying to discover your interest. It helps you see how writing about an author, an idea, an event, etc. has been broken down and categorized. Browsing by Subject is often most helpful.

• How to Browse
  • Click on the STARTS WITH / BROWSE link above the search box. 
  • Change the drop-down to Browse by SUBJECT.
  • Enter a broader and major topic word to discover subject headings. 
    • Example: hemingway, ernest 
• Advanced Search Tip
  • It's often best to adapt the subject headings and subheadings you see in search results, or from browsing, into a new search. 
  • From Advanced Search, select "Subject" from the "Keywords anywhere" drop-down, and add different combinations of subject words or subheading words. 
    • Example: "human rights advocacy"

• Our One-Minute Videos page provides brief instructions for using HOLLIS.
• For more detailed guidance on HOLLIS, the HOLLIS User Guide is a helpful resource. 
• Check the Harvard Library Events page to see if there are any upcoming HOLLIS workshops. 
• Ask Jonathan or Mary Frances for help with HOLLIS.