How to Use the Library

The reference library can be accessed through our website, without having a Zotero account or downloading any software.  If you intend to use the library more intensively, you should download a desktop version of Zotero (see Getting Started with Zotero below).

Within the Yakima Basin Reference Library, you can click on any of the collections to view references specific to that collection.  You can also click on tags, which are found in the lower left-hand portion of the screen and are keywords that help you to better filter the references by topic.  Other hints:

• To view more tags, click on More underneath the tag section.
• You can select multiple tags at once to filter your search further.
• To back out of a search, you can click the selected tags again, which will unselect them and bring you back to the full list of references.
• You can search through tags by using the search bar above them. However, the search bar is only useful if you know the exact naming convention of a tag.  For example, if you typed in “microhabitat,” there is no microhabitat tag, so the search wouldn’t return anything.  However, there are multiple microhabitat studies that have been lumped under the “habitat” tag.  Therefore, it may be more useful to scroll through the tag list and find the topics that you are interested in.
• You can also use the search bar at the top of the page to search by title, creator or year.  You can use the dropdown menu to change this bar to search “everything.”  However, be aware that this option may miss older PDF documents that are not indexed or searchable.  Therefore, using tags might be a more effective way to find what you want.
• Once you click on a reference in the library, you will see the metadata for that reference.  To view an actual copy of the reference, click on the URL.
• You can also obtain the citation for that reference by clicking on the file icon and selecting a citation style.  You can then copy and paste this citation info into any document.

Getting Started with Zotero

Zotero is a free reference management program that enables you to easily store, organize and share metadata and documents for references including books, journal articles, websites and other resources.  You can use your Zotero library to create in-text citations and bibliographies in MS Word. To get started with Zotero, visit Zotero’s Download page and complete the following steps.  Or, download the How To Guide to Zotero.

You have two options for downloading Zotero to your desktop: Zotero for Firefox or Zotero Standalone.  You can choose to install either version or both.
If you choose to install Zotero Standalone, download the browser extension for either Chrome, Firefox or Safari, depending on which browser you use most commonly.

If you use Mozilla Firefox frequently, you may choose to install Zotero for Firefox, which allows you to save and organize documents without leaving Firefox.  Make sure to install the plugin for Word if you choose this version.

You will also want to register online and create a user account, which can be done by clicking Register in the top right corner of the Zotero download page.  This online account will allow you to back up your library and access the library from multiple computers, use your online library to share references with others and network with other Zotero users.

To ensure syncing between your online account and desktop Zotero library, you must add your user account info to Zotero Standalone by going to Tools > options > Sync and then entering your account info (make sure sync automatically is checked).  In Zotero for Firefox, hit the  gear button , then go to preferences > sync and enter your account info/make sure sync automatically is selected.