FRELIP’s discovery search — at search.frelip.org, powered by VuFind — lets you search the entire collection from one simple box. Type a few key words, press search, and scan the results. That’s the whole basic move, and it takes about a minute to learn.

Every great research session starts the same way: a search box and a question. FRELIP’s discovery tool is designed to feel as easy as any search engine, while quietly searching scholarly, trustworthy material underneath. This lesson gets you comfortable with the basics so the later tricks make sense.

Searching in three small steps

  • Start with the heart of it — the two or three words that matter most, not a whole sentence: cassava disease, not “I want information about diseases that affect cassava plants”.
  • Scan the first results — titles, authors, dates. Are these the kind of thing you wanted?
  • Adjust and search again — too many? add a word. Too few? remove one. Searching is a conversation, not a one-shot.
Fewer words, better results
Searching “what are the effects of climate change on farming in West Africa” can confuse a search engine with filler words. Try climate change agriculture West Africa instead — four strong words, far sharper results. Strip the sentence down to its keywords and the search rewards you.

Searching is iterative

Don’t expect the perfect result on the first try — almost no one does. The skill isn’t typing the magic phrase; it’s reading what comes back and nudging your words until the results sharpen. Each search teaches you the next one.

🔗 Try it on FRELIP: search.frelip.org — try a basic search

Once the basics feel natural, a few advanced features let you take real control. On to Advanced Search Features.

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Last modified: Friday, 5 June 2026, 8:19 AM