Primo Help

What is Primo?

Almost Everything circle encompassing books circle and most of articles circle Primo is our library catalog and search tool, allowing you to search print and e-books, electronic resources, digital collections and more, all in one place.

Why should I sign in?

Signing in will allow you to:

View more complete search results
Request books and articles from other libraries (InterLibrary Loan)
Renew books and other library materials
Create favorites lists
Export citations to citation management tools

How do I start searching?

Screenshot of Primo search box on CSU Libraries' homepage with arrow pointing to search scopes dropdown menu

Choose Your Search Option

Choose what you're searching in Primo by using the dropdown menu next to the search box. Then, type in your keywords or search terms and press Enter to start searching.

Click through the remaining images to learn about your search options.

Almost Everything

Search millions* of our resources, including print books, e-books, articles, media, maps, and more.

*Millions, yes, but you won’t find everything. To find additional resources, or for more focused searching, use our specialized databases.

Books and more

Search our physical (on site), e-book, digital repository, and Semester at Sea collections.

Articles and more

Search articles in selected databases indexed by Primo. You will search more databases at once, but not all of the databases to which CSU Libraries provides access.

EBSCO databases

Search articles in databases indexed by EBSCO, including Academic Search Premier.

Course Reserves

Search by course name, instructor, number, or department to find physical/print materials placed on reserve.

I started my search. Now what?

Searching will bring you to the results page of Primo. From this page, you have the option to sign in to your library account, narrow your search in multiple ways using Tweak My Results, click on titles to see full details, pin items to your Favorites, and more.