 A discovery layer is one of the tools you can use to find material for your academic assignments. But what exactly is it? In this video, we'll explain discovery layers and why you might use them in your search. Think of a discovery layer like a search engine for library content. A library's discovery layer searches across most of that library's print resources and databases all at once, without the need to do an individual search in each database. It searches resources in the library catalog and in databases of material from different companies such as EBSCO, ProQuest, Gale, and Ovid. The discovery layer displays all of the results together in one list. You can find journal articles, magazine and newspaper articles, ebooks, print books, online videos and more. While discovery layers can be extremely useful, they do have limitations. They cover a broad range of subjects, so your search results will likely include materials not related to the health sciences. You can use filters like subject headings and publishers to refine your search to health science results. Discovery layers also tend not to have the same health sciences specific advanced search options as databases like PubMed, CINNL, and Cochrane, so you may not be able to focus your search as well. A discovery layer is an excellent tool if you're looking for physical library resources such as books or e-content such as e-books and streaming videos. If you're looking for journal articles, the discovery layer is also a great place to look. However, when searching for health sciences resources, you will likely eventually need to search directly in a database to use the more specialized search interface. Libraries have different names for their discovery layers. Visit the website for your college library to find their discovery layer search tool. If you have questions about how to use it, you can ask a member of the library staff.