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Welcome to "An Overview of the Library Catalog."
This video will introduce you to the features and uses of the library catalog.
To learn details on how to search for materials in the catalog, please see our companion videos.
You can search the library catalog directly from the Books tab of the website or you can connect to the full catalog through the link below the
search box, from the link in the banner or from the search box in the upper right hand corner.
The library catalog will help you find materials in Mullins Library (including Special Collections and Performing Arts and Media),
Young Law Library, the Physics Library, the Fine Arts Library, and the Chemistry and Biochemistry Library.
You may also identify titles held by the Crystal Bridges Museum Library.
Note that you cannot find individual journal articles in the catalog.
To locate articles, you can search directly from the libraries’ homepage by selecting one of the general library databases and entering your
search terms or by selecting a specific database from the links listing them by title, subject, or our Top Ten.
While the library catalog does not provide access to journal or periodical articles, it does provide access to other online materials such as
Web sites, electronic books, documents and dissertations, over 800,000 streaming audio and video files and the Libraries’ digital collections.
You can use the catalog to find CDs, DVDs, CD-ROMs, videocassettes, audio books, and other media materials,
as well as musical scores, maps, microforms, and a portion of the Libraries' manuscript collections.
This is libraries' main page. As you can see, there are several options for searching.
Select the Books tab to start your library catalog search.
Here you can search all of the items that are represented in the library catalog.
If you type directly into the search box, without changing the pull down menu, you are performing a keyword search.
A “keyword” search is the most flexible, in that it allows you to search many elements such as titles, publishers, subject headings, notes,
organizations, conference names, and authors simultaneously.
You can combine these elements using the connectors “and,” “or,” and “and not.”
You can select from the dropdown menu an author search. … when you want to find a list of a person’s works.
Or search by “title" when you want to find a particular work .
Subject searches search subject headings which are standardized terms and phrases that are used to locate materials about a person, a
person’s work, a place, or a general topic of interest.
Author, Title and Subject searching are more precise than keywords.
More search options are available if you click directly on the link to the Library Catalog.
In addition to the Keyword, Author, Title, and Subjects searches you can perform on the front page of the libraries’ website, if you are looking
for journals only, choose the “journal title” option. But remember, you cannot search for individual journal articles in the catalog, just journal titles.
You can also search journal titles directly from the homepage under “Journals”
Also available are call number and ISSN/ISBN search
Select advanced keyword searching when you wish to add search terms from multiple indexes (such as performing an author - title search) or
when you would like to add other criteria for your search – such as location or format of the item or whether the item is a book or journal.
Click the More Search Options link to access additional methods of searching. These include specialized searches for media materials,
e-books and theses. Please note that these materials might also be located using a standard or advanced keyword search as well.
After you have completed your search, you can use the specific location and call number to find available copies or volumes on the shelf.
The Map It! button will help you locate the item on the shelf.
By clicking on the title, you can see more information about the title.
You can text the call number and details to your phone to find the item more easily...
And you can create a citation for you to add to a bibliography or reference page.
If you click on the request link, you can also request that it be pulled for pickup at a later time…
If electronic full-text is available, you can click on the title to display more information and then click on the link.
The library catalog is also a gateway for materials your instructors have placed on reserve.
Click on the “Course Reserves” link under the More Search Options link or on the Reserves tab on the Libraries’ website.
Then search by course or by instructor.
To learn about additional library catalog features, see our videos listed under Research Help
If you have any questions please contact us in person, through chat, by phone, or through e-mail.