UC Hastings College of the Law Library Implements New Online Search and Article Access

UC Hastings College of the Law Library is providing its faculty and students with expanded online article access and advanced search capabilities, including the ability to search and access articles from ProQuest, Google Scholar, and HeinOnline's Core Collections. The library has installed Encore Synergy to provide a single search interface to access over 40 million pages of legal history, more than 1,500 law and related periodicals, as well as the library's print collection.

Encore Synergy enables library patrons to search current scholarly and popular articles, local books, e-books, specialized digital collections, institutional repositories, and more. Users simply enter their search terms, and Encore immediately returns a list of books, articles, and other media relevant to the search criteria, complete with direct links to digital media available online.

"As far as searching features, the faculty wants a deep subject area search, whereas students generally want a broader view of 'what exists out there' in terms of a particular subject," said Marlene Bubrick, technical services librarian at UC Hastings College of Law Library. "Keyword searching is the route students take, and the new advanced search is a great tool for librarians."

Faceted search is a method of searching by applying multiple filters to narrow the parameters, a feature provided by Encore Synergy. "For all our users, faceting helps them drill down to what they need," said Bubrick. "Faceting for HeinOnline is particularly helpful because there are so many titles in that resource."

UC Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco serves more than 1,337 students. Founded in 1878, it was the first law department of the University of California. Its law library houses more than 650,000 volumes and includes an extensive collection of United States and international materials, as well as federal and California government documents.

UC Hastings College of the Law Library's implementation of Encore Synergy is available through the UC Hastings site. Further information about Encore Synergy is available at encoreforlibraries.com.

About the Author

Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • student reading a book with a brain, a protective hand, a computer monitor showing education icons, gears, and leaves

    4 Steps to Responsible AI Implementation

    Researchers at the University of Kansas Center for Innovation, Design & Digital Learning (CIDDL) have published a new framework for the responsible implementation of artificial intelligence at all levels of education.

  • Red alert symbols and email icons floating in a dark digital space

    Google Cloud Report: Cyber Attackers Are Fully Embracing AI

    According to Google Cloud's 2026 Cybersecurity Forecast, AI will become standard for both attackers and defenders, with threats expanding to virtualization systems, blockchain networks, and nation-state operations.

  • Graduation cap resting on electronic circuit board

    Preparing Workplace-Ready Graduates in the Age of AI

    Artificial intelligence is transforming workplaces and emerging as an essential tool for employees across industries. The dilemma: Universities must ensure graduates are prepared to use AI in their daily lives without diluting the interpersonal, problem-solving, and decision-making skills that businesses rely on.

  • Analyst or Scientist uses a computer and dashboard for analysis of information on complex data sets on computer.

    Anthropic Study Tracks AI Adoption Across Countries, Industries

    Adoption of AI tools is growing quickly but remains uneven across countries and industries, with higher-income economies using them far more per person and companies favoring automated deployments over collaborative ones, according to a recent study released by Anthropic.