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Hi! I'm Melissa, a librarian in the Information Services department at Gorgas Library, and I'm going to talk with you about finding books in the
Libraries' collections.
The Libraries have books in print and electronic formats, and there are lots of different ways to access these materials, but here are some
suggestions.
If you're just getting started or if you're looking for new resources, use Scout to search for your topic, then use the limiters on the left side of the
page to narrow your results.
If you are looking for a specific book, or books by a particular author, use Scout to search for the title or the author.
Title searches usually work best when you place the title in quotation marks: "The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World".
Since authors' names can be listed in many different ways, author searches usually work best when you DON'T place the author's name
in quotation marks.
If you're still not finding what you need, you can further adjust your search with the limiters on the left side of the page or the Advanced Search
options.
In the detailed record display for many items in the library catalog, Scout will display similar items, other items by the same author, and, in
some cases, book reviews. You can also use the links to request items that aren't currently available.
Here are some things to keep in mind when using Scout to find books.
When you do a search with Scout, the results will include print books, electronic books, journals, articles, images, and more. If you only
want to find print books, you'll need to use the Catalog Only limiter on the left side of the page to narrow your results. Because of the way
items in our collection are cataloged, you'll probably still see some eBooks and Government Documents in the results list. You can narrow
things down a little further by using the Location limiter to specify a particular library.
Something else to keep in mind: When you search for a title with Scout, the results may include reviews of a book in addition to the
actual book itself. The actual book will be accompanied by a cover image, the words Book or eBook, and a physical location or link to
access it online. Items labeled as Periodical, Academic Journal, or Review are likely book reviews.
Finally, you may spot the words "Online Access" in the results list. Here, "Online Access" refers to extra materials that are
available online, like book reviews or tables of contents. If the book is an eBook and available online, you will probably see an eBook icon and
the words "On Campus or Off Campus Access, CLICK HERE." If you see a physical location listed, the book itself probably isn't available
online.
We've been talking about using the Scout search tool, but if you prefer, you can still go directly to the Libraries' Classic Catalog.
If you need help finding books or using library resources, please ask a librarian.