Alerts and Notifications

Utilize email alerts, social media, and RSS feeds to keep you up to date with new content that matches your research needs. Alerts & notifications allow you to keep current on recent publications and websites by sending notifications directly to your email when changes are made.

 

Google Alerts

Google Alerts is an ongoing Google Search which updates you when new results matching your request are available. You'll receive emails (or you can add it to your RSS feed) when new articles and information appear in Google related to your research or keep an eye on your own publications by setting up a search for your name or article title.  

Setting up a Google Alert Links to an external site. is easy and the settings are very customizable; you can choose how often you receive notifications, the types of sites you’ll see, or the part of the world you want info from. 

A screenshot of a Google Alert showing how to add a library, The example library text depicts the addition of "Northwest Libraries," and includes options about types of alerts, such as sources, language, region, how many, and deliver to. The image also shows the "update alert" button.

Database and Journal Alerts

Many databases and journals provided by the UW Libraries offer alert services that automatically send you an email notification for new citations or table of contents that match your interests. You can choose to save specific queries (a word or phrase you specify when searching) and have an alert sent at scheduled times. You can also set notifications for specific journals, so when new content is published you'll receive a table of contents. This alert will run your query automatically and send you new results via e-mail. 

For example, when you run a search in UW Libraries Search Links to an external site., you can save that search and run it again at a later time. You can also set up an email alert based on that query so that the system emails you with new results of that search periodically.

A screenshot of a search on the UW Libraries catalog, showing which link to use to save a query.

 

Using the Save Query option will trigger an alert on screen to let you know your search has been saved to your favorites list. You can also turn on a notification for this query.

A screenshot of a search for "cats" on the UW Libraries catalog. The search result example that is highlighted provides context of 1, 093, 040 possible results. The first returned result is a DVD video by Andrew Lloyd Webber with accompanying actor information. The image shows how to save a query and emphasizes a notification that a query has been saved. Also included in the image is a sidebar indicating how to refine search results.

Turning on notifications will trigger another window that asks for your email address. You will be emailed notifications when there is an update to the query.

A screenshot of how to update notification settings. The prompt asks users to update settings by providing an email address.

 

View saved queries and alerts by clicking on the pushpin icon screenshot of pushpin icon known as "My Favorites" on your screen.

Your favorites will list any searches you have saved, your recent search history and any saved records. You must log-in with your UW NetID in order to save and view these lists and items. If you do not log in, they will not be there the next time you use UW Libraries Search.

A screenshot of how to access saved queries using a UW Libraries account.

 

To learn more about using queries and alerts in UW Libraries Search, visit the UW Libraries Search: Queries and Alerts Research Guide. You can also learn more Links to an external site. about alert services available through specific disciplinary databases.

 

RSS and Feedly

RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is a very popular way of distributing new information from a website. Notably, online news publications and blogs utilize RSS feeds to automatically alert subscribers of news articles or posts.

Once you are subscribed to an RSS feed, you need a tool to read the news and updates that will be pushed to you. One particular tool we recommend is Feedly Links to an external site.. It provides you with a single place for all of your news feeds, allows you to organize, read, save, share, and search for news articles and posts in your collection, and is integrated with other popular tools such as OneNote 365. Feedly also has a free smartphone app available on iOS Links to an external site., and Android Links to an external site..

Setting up an RSS is especially useful if you are searching many different kinds of sources and content. For example, journal articles, current newspaper articles, blogs and websites.

UW Libraries News and Social Media

The UW Libraries also likes to keep you updated with the latest news and information about current Libraries-related announcements and events. Our News page Links to an external site.is constantly updated with current ongoing exhibits, upcoming special events, announcements, and more.

We also have a vibrant presence on social media and you can find many of our branch libraries and staff online in the UW Libraries Social Media Directory Links to an external site.. 

And don't forget to follow us on Facebook Links to an external site., Instagram Links to an external site., Twitter Links to an external site..