Fleet Search

Fleet Search provides a single, integrated search box for searching RISD Library's information resources, including scholarly journal articles, books, e-books, internet documents, research reports, and much more.

Fleet Search does not replace the library’s existing services such as the RISD/ATH Catalog or the Databases and Publication Finder. What distinguishes this service is the ability to search across many systems from a single search box and get back fast and relevant results. Once a search has been done, results can be filtered and refined by subject, author, format, language, date and many other facets. It is important to note that Fleet Search searches most, but not all, of the library's subscription databases.

Note: in December 2024, Fleet Search transitioned to a new user interface. Some of the screenshots and tutorials in this guide may be outdated. We are working to update them. For any questions on the new user interface, please email us at library@risd.edu.

Fleet Search is a great place to start your research.  It helps you quickly find relevant resources on a subject, without having to decide which database(s) to search. 

The facets allow you to filter your search results in a variety of ways, including date range, source, source type, subject, and scholarly designation.  The library's cataloged resources are also integrated into the search results.

What's Included in Fleet Search?

• Books+:
  RISD/ATH Library Catalog records (over 200,000 records)
  RISD Archives finding aids
  RISD Graduate Thesis titles
  RISD Picture Collection folder records
  e-book Academic Collection
   
• Articles:
  full-text articles, book chapters, open access sources, and other electronic content from most of the Library’s subscription databases

Art Images & Materials are Elsewhere

Images & Materials databases are not included in Fleet Search. Please see Databases A-Z for access.

To take advantage of the richest features of a database, including the subject thesaurus or specialized limiters, search a specific subject-relevant database. For example, Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals has image searching features only available in its unique index.

What's Not Included in Fleet Search?

• Image Databases
• Fashion Archives (Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, Women's Wear Daily)
• Material Order
• Ask Art
• Oxford English Dictionary

If you need to see Course Reserves, View your Library Account, Renew Online, request, or recall material you will need to use the traditional RISD/ATH Library Catalog.

If you want to filter your results to only include resources that you can directly access, click on the 'Full Text' box on the page below the search bar. Once your search results reload, you should be able to access any e-books*, articles, and other resources by clicking on the following links, found in the 'Access Options' dropdown at the bottom of each result:

	HTML Full Text
	PDF Full Text
	EPUB Full Text*
	Full Text from ERIC
	Full Text Finder (may require multiple steps)
	View Record in DOAJ

*see our eBooks guide for more information on downloading/checking out eBooks: https://risd.libguides.com/ebooks

Example of an indexed record with no full text

It can be frustrating to discover the perfect resource in Fleet Search, only to realize that the full text isn't available. Do not despair! If the resource isn't available electronically, you have three options:

• Double check the resource record. Sometimes there is a note in the record that the article is available via Open Access, in which case there should be a URL or DOI that will lead you to the article.
• Check to see if we have a print copy. You should see a link 'Check Library Holdings for Availability' at the bottom of the record if you are on the search results page or in the left hand column if you are in the resource record. If we have the resource in print (usually in a journal/periodical), you will be brought to the library catalog record.
• Order the resource through Interlibrary Loan. If we do not have an electronic or print copy, you can request the resource from another library. Click on the link 'Request through Interlibrary Loan' at the bottom of the record if you are on the search results page or in the left hand column if you are in the resource record. You will be directed to the appropriate form. You can always request an item through Interlibrary Loan from the Fleet Library home page as well (bottom left hand menu).
• See if Brown has the resource. Brown University has a much larger budget than we do and can afford to subscribe to more databases. Visit their library home page to search for your resource: https://library.brown.edu/. Remember that Brown's resources are not available to the RISD community remotely, so you will have to visit one of their libraries if you want something. More info on Brown privileges here: https://library.brown.edu/info/catalogs/college-hill-libraries/.

Once you select a resource from the search results page, you will be brought to a detailed record with bibliographic information about the resource. At the top of the record, you will notice a row of many useful tools. A few notes on these:

• Cite - generates citations in all major citation styles (Chicago, MLA, APA, etc.).
• Share - click this to email yourself the resource record, upload it to Google Drive or OneDrive, or generate a permanent link to it. Important: Never copy the URL in your browser's address field to access the record at a later time. The URL will time out eventually and you will be unable to return to the resource record.
• Save + Add to Project - both of these tools require you to have a MyEBSCO account. You can sign up for one by clicking on the 'My EBSCO' link above the search bar on the right hand side of the page.

If you have questions about how to manage your research or cite your sources for an assignment, please read our Citation Tools guide.

Some basic tips on using filters:

• To find books, dvds or other items in the RISD Library, refine your search by selecting "Available in Library Collection."
• To find scholarly journal articles, refine your search by selecting "Peer Reviewed."
• You can refine a search by limiting by language. However, be aware that many English language articles have not been tagged as English and may be missing from your search results.
• By default, Fleet Search searches through the full text of documents (if available). This may cause a large number of results, and not all are relevant to your subject. Results are returned in a relevancy ranked order. Alternatively, sort results by date newest or date oldest.
• Advanced users: try filtering by database(s). For example, if you are researching urban planning, you might try selecting the databases Art & Architecture Source; Avery Index; Garden, Landscape & Horticulture Index; and Urban Studies Abstracts.

Some basic search techniques:

• By default, Fleet Search searches all terms you have entered, without the need to use AND.  For example: entropy art color will find items that contain all 3 terms.
• To improve the relevancy of your search results, enclose phrases in "quotation marks".  For example: "visual perception" or "climate change".
• To find variant endings for a word, use the * asterisk (truncation symbol.)  For example:  artist* finds artist, artists, artistic.

Need help getting started with your research? Feel free to use our 'Moving from a Research Question to a Search Strategy' handout to brainstorm concepts and keywords for your Fleet Search.