LibKey Nomad is a browser extension that works with John Carroll University's library holdings to determine the fastest path to articles from journals subscribed to by your library, without having to start at the library's web page. It also adds in-line enhancements to popular sites like PubMed, Wikipedia, Web of Science and more. If direct access is not available, it can fill out the Interlibrary Loan request form for you.
Installing LibKey Nomad is simple. Start with the link below to download the extension:
Follow this link and choose your browser to add the LibKey Nomad extension.
LibKey Nomad requires your permission to change data on sites you visit.
LibKey is not collecting any personal information. You can view their privacy policy here. No additional account is needed to use Nomad, but if you may be asked to sign into some library resources using your JCU Banner ID.
Once LibKey Nomad is installed, you will be prompted to select an institution. You can type John Carroll in the box to get a shortlist quickly. Click on John Carroll University to complete the process.
LibKey Nomad is currently available for the following browsers:
It's an option to only have the Nomad tool operate on sites when you click the extension icon, or only on particular sites. After pinning the extension to your browser's toolbar, you can right-click the LibKey Nomad icon to see options:
LibKey Nomad automatically places a button in the bottom corner of a compatible webpage. This button changes its appearance to indicate what level of access is available.
Download PDF indicates that the library provides access to the PDF, and will take you directly to the PDF of the document.
Article Link indicates that the Purdue Library provides access to the article, and will take you to a page where you can access the article. You may be able to download the article from there.
Access Options indicates that the library does not have direct online access to the article. Clicking this will take you directly to the library's "Find It" results page, where you can select further access options such as interlibrary loan.
For example, when using LibKey Nomad, you might see Wikipedia references that look like this:
Does LibKey Nomad work for every site/database/article?
No. LibKey Nomad uses an item's DOI to retrieve full text options. It cannot retrieve items with no DOI. Additionally, LibKey Nomad is currently configured to work only with selected scholarly websites and Wikipedia, and not on the web in general.
Does using LibKey Nomad mean I won't have to log in to access articles anymore?
It will still prompt you to authenticate with JCU's single sign-on the first time you use it (each session), but after that it should authenticate automatically until you start a new browser session.
Does LibKey Nomad only work with John Carroll University's library subscription materials?
No, it also finds free versions of articles that are not part of the library's subscriptions.
LibKey Nomad will recognize most academic publishers' pages. Major publishers include:
If you need more help using LibKey Nomad at John Carroll, please "Ask Us" using the chat box at the bottom of this page.