Frequently asked questions and use cases

This page answers frequently asked questions and walks you through typical workflows.

Finding literature

How do I find the current state of the art on a topic?

1. Search with suitable keywords in the full-text search
2. Under Sort by, choose Date to see the newest publications first
3. Use the Year filter (for example Last 5 years) to hide older publications
4. Check the references in relevant publications for further current sources

How do I combine search terms?

• By default, the search finds publications that contain all the terms you enter
• Put terms in quotation marks to search for an exact phrase: "Eurocode 2"
• The search automatically takes different spellings and word forms into account

How do I find a standard by its number?

1. Enter the standard number in quotation marks, for example "EN 1992-1-1". Without quotation marks, other parts such as EN 1992-1-2 appear too
2. If there are many results, use the Publication type filter to show only standards

See searching by standard number for details.

How do I know whether a standard is still valid?

1. Open the standard’s detail page
2. Check its Status: Active or Withdrawn
3. For a withdrawn standard, Successors names the standard that replaces it. If that standard is in your library, click its number to open it

The status is the one your library team recorded in Librario; Librario does not check it against the DIN catalogue. If in doubt, ask your library team.

Where do I find the paper copy?

On the publication’s detail page, the list of hard copies shows where each copy is kept and whether it is available or on loan. Reference-only copies can only be used on site.

Why can’t I find a text I know exists?

Check the following:

1. Is the PDF file searchable? For scanned documents, your library team can improve the text recognition
2. Did you search for the right terms? Try synonyms or other spellings
3. Has the publication been catalogued yet? If in doubt, ask your library team

Can I search straight from the browser’s address bar?

Yes. Librario offers itself to your browser as a search engine, named after your account followed by “Library”.

1. Open Librario in your browser
2. In your browser’s search engine settings, add the Librario search engine or activate it. Chrome lists it under inactive shortcuts at first
3. Give it a shortcut there, for example lib. Then type lib, a space and your search term in the address bar

Safari does not support custom search engines. On Windows you can also add Librario to Windows Explorer.

Working efficiently

How do I keep track of important publications?

1. Add relevant publications to your favourites
2. Use collections for literature that belongs together by topic

How do I stay up to date on new literature?

1. Create a collection for your field
2. In the search, choose Date under Sort by to see new publications first
3. Check the collection regularly

How do I cite a publication correctly?

1. Open the publication’s detail page
2. Use Export and pick the format you need (BibTeX or EndNote)
3. Import the data into your reference manager

Working with others

How do I point others in the team to a publication?

You have two simple options:

1. On the detail page, click Share publication to send the link by email
2. Add the publication to a shared collection

How do we organise literature for a project?

1. Create a collection for the project
2. Under Users & permissions, give everyone on the project the Editor role
3. Add relevant publications
4. Record project-specific notes in the collection’s description
5. Link to the collection from your project management tool

How do we share expertise in the team?

1. Create collections for different subject areas
2. Document the key works and essential background reading
3. Name experts as points of contact in the collection description
4. Link to supporting resources (for example internal wikis or calculation tools)