Install LibKey Nomad

LibKey Nomad is a browser extension that lets you quickly connect to the full text of journal articles you may come across as you’re doing research online. It allows for one-click access to articles from both the library collection and from open access sources.  

Start by downloading LibKey Nomad.

LibKey Nomad is integrated into popular research websites like PubMed, Google Scholar, Wikipedia, publisher websites, and more. It takes out a lot of the clicking and searching you normally have to do when you’ve found a journal article on the web and want to access the full text. 

Installing LibKey Nomad is easy! Follow these steps:

1. Access the options menu to download LibKey Nomad.
2. Select your browser (Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Brave, and Vivaldi) from the download list.
3. Once you have installed the browser extension, you’ll be prompted to select your organization from a dropdown list. Search for and select "University of Guelph " from the list of institutions. You’re done!

Note: You can confirm the extension has been added if a green or grey flame icon appears in the top right corner of your browser:

The green icon means the extension is ready to use and the grey icon means you must first select your institution before use.  Another way to confirm if LibKey Nomad is activated is by clicking on the extension button. A menu should pop up that includes the words, “Library Selection Saved!”

Once you’ve installed the LibKey Nomad browser extension, there isn’t anything else you need to do. It will run quietly in the background, checking for the fastest route to full text that it can find for the articles that you may come across as your search in Wikipedia, PubMed, and other web resources.

There are a few different types of links that LibKey offers, which you’ll notice as you’re searching on the web. They include the following:

An Access Options link means that LibKey believes that our library doesn't have full-text access. Click on that link to go to Omni where you can make an interlibrary loan request for the article.

A Download PDF link is an indication that LibKey has found a direct route to the PDF. Click this link to download the PDF directly.

An Article Link means that LibKey has found full text but needs to route you through the publisher's site to get to it.

The View Complete Issue brings you to the full issue of the selected journal in a separate menu – called Browzine – and lets you browse additional articles within that journal issue.

When you come across an article naturally (and not through the library website) LibKey may offer you a link on the bottom left corner.  Simply click on the option to access the PDF version of the article.

An Article Retracted link indicated that the article was retracted by the authors, editors, or publishers of the journal. Click on the link to access full retraction details.  Here’s an example of a retracted article that features the Article Retracted link.