Research
Ha:Lit (Discovery System)
Ha:Lit offers a comprehensive introduction to searching for academic literature. On this page, you will learn how to use our discovery system effectively for your search, what search and filter options are available, and how to access printed and electronic resources. You’ll also find helpful information on search functions, availability, ordering and other ways to use Ha:Lit to explore the ULB’s diverse range of resources.
Ha:Lit, the discovery system of the ULB Saxony-Anhalt, represents a new approach to accessing literature. It is based on the Lukida software and the K10plus Central Index of the Joint Library Network (GBV).
In addition to the ULB’s catalogue data, the system incorporates the holdings of a total of 10 libraries from the Halle-Merseburg Local Library System, the University Bibliography, the Regional Bibliography, as well as the Joint Union Catalogue, a large number of licensed databases, e-journals, e-books and numerous open access resources. In total, the discovery system provides access to over 350 million records. This means that a single search interface gives you comprehensive access to a diverse range of data sources, enabling you to find key literature on your topic with a single search.
Start your research
Can I access the Discovery system from anywhere?
To a certain extent, yes. Ha:Lit can be accessed from anywhere. However, if you are outside the university network, you will not be able to access licensed content, such as full texts from e-journals or e-books. Search results from certain databases will also not be displayed, as the metadata for these databases is subject to licensing restrictions.
For full access from outside, use a connection via VPN.
Can I access all the titles that Ha:Lit shows me?
No. You will, of course, have access to all titles in our collections, open-access titles and – if you are on the university network – licensed e-journals and e-books. However, some of the integrated data sources only provide bibliographic information about the title. The aim here is to show users that there is further specific literature on the subject which can be found through further research and is relevant.
Will all this work on my mobile device as well?
Yes. Ha:Lit works perfectly on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.
What is the difference between this and the OPAC?
The OPAC contains only a fraction of the records that can be searched for in Ha:Lit. The OPAC is designed for targeted searches: the more precisely the search term is formulated, the more specific and narrower the results will be.
The Discovery system takes a different approach, best described as „thematic search“. Here, a large number of results related to the search terms are displayed, drawn from many different data sources – some of which the individual user may not even be aware of. Key to making use of these large volumes of results is what is known as „relevance ranking“: the search terms appearing in the title are ‘weighted’; for example, an occurrence of the search term in the title or keywords is given a higher weighting than one in the abstract or full text. The set of search results can also be further narrowed down using faceted filters.
Can I search for non-Latin scripts in Ha:Lit as well?
Yes, as all content is encoded in UTF-8, it is also possible to search using non-Latin scripts, such as Arabic or Cyrillic.
How can search results be exported from Ha:Lit?
There are various options available for this. As well as the tried-and-tested methods of printing or sending by email, it is also possible to use the following functions in the individual title view:
- Citations: Presents a range of citation styles showing how this title can be cited in a bibliography.
- Export: Offers a range of file formats for export. All common reference management programmes are supported.
- Permalink: Creates a static link to this individual title.
Where can I find further help?
We’re happy to answer your questions. Please contact the enquiries desk or send us an Email.
The ULB Saxony-Anhalt also offers regular Training courses to.
Your guide to the Discovery system
Library account
Users of the ULB, the library at Merseburg University of Applied Sciences (FH), the library at Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle and the RFB Wittenberg have, under the heading My account Access to your library account. This feature will also be made available to other libraries in the system in future.
In your library account, you can find all the information about items you have ordered, borrowed and reserved. You can renew loans and cancel reservations yourself via the account. You will also be shown an overview of any outstanding charges.
Always log out of your user account on other people’s devices by selecting „Log out“.
If you have any questions about using Ha:Lit, please have a look here or contact the helpdesk: auskunft@bibliothek.uni-halle.de or +49 345 55 22166.
Basic functions – The simple search
Enter one or more search terms in the text field; the search is not case-sensitive. Multiple search terms are automatically linked using ‘AND’ (you can find a detailed explanation of Boolean operators in the advanced search guide). By default, the search is carried out in the search area HA:LIT carried out. This search covers the collections of the ULB and the participating libraries. It is possible to restrict the search to a single library.
Use a second drop-down menu to select what you want to search for (All (default), People, Signature or Title).
To narrow down your search results, it may be useful to use the filters. These will appear once you have submitted a search query.
Search areas
If you wish to use a different search area, click on the tile and select one from the list.
- „Library network“ → A search is initiated in K10plus, the joint catalogue of the GBV (Joint Library Network) and SWB (South-West German Library Network) library networks
- „ULB Repositories“ → The search is carried out in the repositories Share_it and Share_DIGit
- „…bibliography“ → The search term(s) are searched for in the reference lists of our bibliographies (university and regional bibliographies).
- „MENAsearch“ → The holdings of our Specialised Information Service (FID) for Middle Eastern, North African and Islamic Studies can be searched in the search area MENAsearch can be found.
Filter
- Sort by „Relevance“ → Ha:Lit uses an internal relevance ranking based on the type of match. For example, matches in the title are given greater weight than those in the full text of a work.
- Sort by „Year (descending)“ → The results list is sorted chronologically, starting with the most recent result.
- Sort by „Year (ascending)“ → The results list is sorted chronologically, starting with the oldest result.
- „Time period“ → Restricting the publication years of the displayed results
- „Type“ → Select whether to search for printed and/or electronic media
- „Formats“ → Select the type of media (e.g. book, film, map, etc.)
- „Phonetic“ → allows for a certain degree of flexibility in spelling (e.g. in non-Latin scripts)
- „Languages“ → Filtering the languages of the search results
- „Keywords“ → Narrowing down the results list by keywords
- „Locations“ → Select library locations (e.g. if you only want to display copies held at the XY branch library)
- „Content types“ → categorisation of media types by content (e.g. for books: dictionary, collection of essays, biography, etc.)
Expert Search – Advanced Search Criteria
The simple search box can be used for an advanced or expert search.
Combine several search terms using the Boolean operators AND, OR and NOT. By using brackets ( ), you can also create longer, nested search queries, e.g. (Term A AND Term B) OR (Term C NOT Term D).
You can refine your search by entering various search criteria in addition to the search term.
The following syntaxes are possible:
- {Search term}:Term → Example: year:2005
- {Search terms}(Term 1, Term 2, etc.) → Example: year(2012, 2013)
Multiple search terms can be combined using spaces → Example: year(2013) language(German). When combining multiple search terms, the syntax using brackets must be used. If the search term contains spaces, the bracket syntax must also be used {Search term}[no spaces](Term 1, Term 2, etc.) recommended.
Ha:Lit also supports searches using wildcards and/or surrounding operators, for example:. * and ? etc. See the guide „Wildcards/Environment Operators“ for more information.
Boolean operators
- AND → When you enter several search terms in the search bar, they are automatically linked with ‘AND’. This means that all terms must be included in the search results.
- OR → If terms are linked using OR, then at least one of the terms must be included. This means: „We are looking for term X or term Y“.
- NOT → The NOT operator excludes the term that follows from the search. Ha:Lit therefore searches for „term X, but term Y must not be included“.“
Search term
| Search criterion | Search term | Example link |
| Author | author | author(„Luther, Martin“) |
| Title | title | title („Towards a digital library“) |
| Signature (as per the original) | signature | signature (ZB 9792) |
| Subject area / Notation (e.g. of an RVK) | class | class(„AL 14185“) |
| publishing/authoring body | corporation | corporation („Martin Luther University“) |
| DOI (Digital Object Identifier) | DOI | doi(„10.2314/GBV:82461786X“) |
| unique ID of the catalogue entry (PPN) | id | id(1936770989) |
| ISBN and ISSN | isn | isn(9783981734720) |
| Language | language | language(German) |
| Publisher | publisher | publisher („Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg“) |
| Keyword / Topic (people may also be included here) | topic | topic („Martin Luther University“) |
| Year | year | year(2025) |
Wildcards / Enclosure operators
- „-“ Selected terms are excluded from the search → E.g.: Literary Studies – An Introduction returns results relating to literary studies, but these are not introductory texts
- „+“ all terms must be included in the search → E.g.: Literary Studies + Introduction + German returns results containing all the search terms
- „?“ replaces exactly one character (Note: a ? at the end of a word is ignored, as it is interpreted as a full stop) → Example: ?anada finds Canada and Canada
- „*“ matches any number of characters (including within words and phrases) → e.g.: comput* finds computer, computing; a midsummer * dream also features *A Midsummer Night’s Dream*
- „“ is used for phrase searches → e.g.: „“a fine example" finds results in which the terms appear one after the other or very close together
Sample searches
- Search for all titles where a specific person is the author or a contributor → author(„Hawking, Stephen“)
- Search for all titles assigned to a specific subject group within a classification system (e.g. an RVK subject group) → subject area: philosophy
- Search for all publications by a specific organisation → koerper(Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg)
- Search for all works that belong to a series → series („For Dummies“)
Quick view – Small tile
The results list is displayed in columns containing several tiles. It is not possible to change the display. In the summary/tile view, you can view information about the individual results. The title, author(s), media type, source, edition and year of publication are displayed. You will also see initial indications of availability within the ULB. Results can be added to your favourites here.
Clicking on a tile opens the full view of the result.
Full-screen view – Large tile
Clicking on a tile in the tile view opens the full view of the result. The top section of this view contains all the bibliographic details for the result: people involved, title, publication details, volume information, subject headings, etc. Further details can be expanded or collapsed. Links to other specific results or external content are marked with a green link icon. If a further search can be initiated, this is indicated by the magnifying glass icon. In the lower section, at the copy level, you can find out how to make use of the result.
View the open-access collection
- If the item is available in various libraries (ULB Saxony-Anhalt, Burg Giebichenstein, etc.), the respective locations are shown on the left-hand side.
- „View“ → The work can only be accessed on site; you must retrieve it yourself using the reference number provided.
- „View & Borrow“ → You may use the work on the premises or borrow it.
Order magazine stock
- „Order“ → certain items (e.g. from a magazine) must be ordered. When the item is ready for collection, you will receive an email notification.
Electronic resources
- „Open edition“ → in the case of printed editions, a digital version may also be available; in the case of digital media, a printed edition may also be available. In the full view, these may be linked to one another.
- „Open in a new tab“ / „Open link“ → In the case of electronic works, this is where you can access the full text.
- In the case of a ReDi link, the work need not be accessible; in this instance, Ha:Lit simply provides a link to the full text, regardless of whether the work is actually licensed.
Articles/Essays
Articles or essays from books or journals are known as derivative works. These can also be found in Ha:Lit.
To access an essay, click on the button You can order this title via the medium on which it is available. You will then be taken directly to the journal, newspaper or book, where you can view or borrow it online or from the shelf. If the button is not visible, use the magnifying glass icon in the publication details to search for the item.
Reservations/Blocked/Other
- „Reserve“ → Items currently on loan can be reserved. The number of existing reservations and the end of the loan period can give an indication of when the book might become available.
- „Bookmark“ → Even media that are still in the course of business can be bookmarked
- When the book arrives at the ULB, you will receive an automatic notification telling you where you can collect the item you have requested.
- „Blocked“ → Copies may be „blocked“ for various reasons. If possible, please use other copies or contact auskunft@bibliothek.uni-halle.de
Full-text search
Full texts may be available for electronic resources and digitised materials. Enter the search terms in the search bar. Results found in the full text are marked with a black-and-white icon in the tile view.
In the full view, you can either search the document directly or access the digitised version without searching. If you click the first link, you will be taken to our IIIF viewer, where the search terms are already highlighted in yellow or blue.
When searching our digitised material, we always recommend selecting the search area ULB repositories.
With the VPNThis service allows you to access protected resources on the university’s data network or licensed online databases whilst on the move or from home – resources that would otherwise only be accessible from the university network.
Further information on using MLU’s VPN service can be found on the IT Service Centre’s website.