Z39.50 is a client server protocol for searching and retrieving bibliographic records between computers. The protocol standards are maintained by the Library of Congress. Most academic libraries make their catalogs available on a Z39.50 server. Biblioscape includes 2,000 plus pre-made connection files so users can search university library catalogs. In Biblioscape, after searching a Z39.50 source, the hits are automatically retrieved into your database.
| 1. | Click the "Online Search" tab of the search panel on the right, then click the "Z39.50" tab. You need to first select a Z39.50 source to search. Only the ones marked Favorite are listed. There are many more sources are available. Double click any source to bring up the "Z39.50 Connection" window to see the full list. Select the ones you want to search and click the Favorite check box. After closing the Window, it will be added to the Favorite list. |
| 2. | Enter your search terms in the combo box at the top, and press the Enter key to start searching. All your search terms are saved for future reuse. Click the down arrow of the combo box to display a list of previously used terms, select one and click the Run button  to re-run the search. |
| 3. | Biblioscape will automatically capture the first batch of your search results and put them in the "Online Search" folder. |
| 4. | If the first batch doesn't include the references you want, you can click the right arrow button  and download the next batch. If you want to build a more complicated query, click the configure button  to display the advanced search panel. You can add extra conditions to fine tune your search. |
| 5. | The last step is to select the hits that you want to keep, and drag them to a references folder. This will move your search results from the "Online Search" folder to the folder where you want to keep them permanently. Because the "Online Search" folder is only a temporary place to store your search hits, you may want to empty this folder by clicking the "Empty Online Search Folder" toolbar button once there are too many unwanted records. |