What is LibKey Nomad?
McMaster University Libraries is pleased to offer LibKey Nomad, a browser extension which simplifies your off-campus access to e-resources provided by the Libraries, and many other features for both on and off campus. Once installed, the extension will bring McMaster Libraries' collections to you anywhere, anytime. Using LibKey Nomad means spending less time searching and more time reading.
Its key features include:
- Prompts you to log in to access e-resources off campus;
- Finds you articles and ebooks provided by the Libraries at other locations, and Open Access alternatives for e-resources not licensed, or directs you to interlibrary loan if no alternatives are found;
- Displays customized messages from the Libraries related to certain e-resources to keep you informed;
- Seamlessly integrates with popular tools such as Google Scholar, PubMed, and Wikipedia.
LibKey Nomad is available to download on all major browsers (Chrome, FireFox, Microsoft Edge, Brave, Vivaldi, and Safari).
How to use LibKey Nomad
Step 1: Download and install the extension on your browser of choice.
Step 2: Select McMaster University.
Step 3: Happy searching! When off-campus, LibKey Nomad will let you know when you have access to any articles or eBooks you find that McMaster Libraries subscribed to.
Once you have added the LibKey Nomad extension to your browser, you will receive notifications while searching for articles or eBooks online that are a part of McMaster Libraries' Collections.
When you land on a page with links to resources McMaster Libraries' subscribe to, you will see an icon in the bottom left corner of the page that says "Provided by McMaster University"
As you continue to search, you may also encounter icons from Nomad that will tell you how you can access the resource, including:
Download PDF: Clicking on this button will take you directly to the full-text article in PDF format.
Article Link: Selecting this button will take you to the full-text version of the article on the publisher's page.
View E-Book: It will take you directly to the available E-book. Note: This button will typically appear on sites like Amazon, Wikipedia, Google Books, as well as some publisher websites.
Access Options: This button appears when the Nomad tool recognizes that a resource is not a part of McMaster Libraries' collections, but it can connect you to services to where you can borrow or access the resource through other libraries.
View Complete Issue: This button provides a link to BrowZine, where you will see the full table of contents for the journal issue that article is published in.
Manuscript PDF: Clicking this button will take you to an open access version of an article in PDF format. This may not be the final, published version of the article.
Manuscript Link: Similar to "Manuscript PDF", this button will take you open access version of an article that is hosted on an open repository . This may not be the final, published version of the article.
