Help: Using 'Minerva' to Search Curtis Memorial Library and Many other Libraries Across Maine

When you see the term "Minerva", it means you can search more than 20 libraries across Maine (including Curtis) from the comfort of your computer! The system is fairly simple, but you can improve your searching experience by learning a few 'tricks of the trade'. Click on a link below to watch and hear a Curtis Reference Librarian help you to more effective searching:

Click for a 'watch and listen' tutorial	Quick tips
popup to Author search tutorial	If you know the first and last name of the author. Example: dieffenbach, rick
popup to Title search tutorial	If you know the title, or, the first few words of the title. Example 1, full title: becoming fit through good nutrition the natural way Example 2, using the first few words only: becoming fit* (The '*' means "match any that have these first few words")
popup to Keyword search tutorial popup to Keyword "Trick" tutorial (Tip: Sometimes you'll see the term "word" and sometimes "keyword" in Minerva. They mean the same thing.)	Like using Google™, type in words or phrases. The search will look for these words in the title and in the description of the resource. Example: natural nutrition would return 'becoming fit through good nutrition the natural way' because 'natural' and 'nutrition' are included in the title. (Chances are, you wil get a lot of other results as well.)
popup to Subject search tutorial	"Subject" seems easy on the surface, but sometimes it is a challenge to use. But try it! Example: cookery would bring up cookbooks, cooking, etc. The reason using a 'subject' search can sometimes be a challenge is that you must know the subject terms librarians have chosen. In the example above, librarians choose the term 'cookery' to list cookbooks. Not everyone would think to use 'cookery' when looking for cookbooks! Contact a librarian for help on subject searching or any search question. We'd be happy to help!
popup to Advanced searching tips tutorial (covers 'filters' and other tips)	Use "filters" to better refine your search. Filters are used in combination with the search methods (Author, title, keyword/word, subject). Example. Using a keyword/word search for nutrition, Minerva returns with 200 results. But suppose you want to view only the latest information. You could use a filter to limit results to those that were published this year.