Did you know that there’s now an easier way to access the Library’s online articles through a browser extension? LibKey Nomad allows library users to access articles available through the library’s subscriptions by linking to our link resolver (“Find It” button). It provides single-click access to library content from publisher websites such as PubMed, Wikipedia, and more. This tool will show you when the library has a subscription and, if not, will point you to access the article in other ways. Since it is a browser tool, you will know if an article is available for access before you have to log in with your NetID.  

How does it work? 

LibKey Nomad uses identifiers, not OpenURL or domain-based, for precise linking to the library’s full-text. This tool consults the University Libraries’ holdings data to know if and where an article is available, including from within extensive collections like EBSCO and ProQuest. If no holdings are found, LibKey consults a combination of the LibKey Open Access Knowledge Base and Unpaywall to provide open access discovery.  

Library users will be given the best available version of an article; if there is no published version available, LibKey Nomad will notify you if it finds an approved open access Manuscript PDF or link. If no open access versions are identified, LibKey will connect you to the Libraries’ interlibrary loan service so you can request a copy of your article from another library. It is freely available for University library users and no personal account sign-up is needed! 

How can I install it? 

LibKey Nomad is a browser extension available for Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Brave and Vivaldi users. To set up access, follow the steps below.

• Search for the LibKey Nomad browser extension tool for the compatible browsers
• You will need to select your institution – select “University of Nevada Reno” from the dropdown menu. Once selected, you will see the university’s block N logo. 
• The LibKey nomad logo (a small light green flame) will display on the top right of your browser window where your browser extensions are. 
• When you are on an article page, the green flame button with options for article access will appear on the bottom left of the page. 

Once you install it, you can use it to download full text articles to which the University Libraries’ subscribe to, from any publisher website where you find them. When the full text PDF is available to you, you will see a LibKey Download PDF icon in the bottom left corner of the page. If not, you will see a button labeled Access Options, which will direct you to the University Libraries’ Interlibrary Loan (ILL).  

About University Libraries 

The University Libraries embrace intellectual inquiry and innovation, nurture the production of new knowledge, and foster excellence in learning, teaching, and research.  During each academic year, the Libraries welcomes more than 1.2 million visitors across its network of three libraries: the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center, the DeLaMare Science and Engineering Library and the Savitt Medical Library. Visitors checked-out more than 90,000 items and completed more than 2 million database searches.