Karen Skinner
Library catalogs are useful tools for finding books and other publications. They can help you determine which libraries hold particular publications in their collections and where those items are located within those collections. They can also be used to help you identify books that pertain to a particular topic of interest.
Keyword Searches: Most catalogs default to a keyword search. Enter keywords based on the subject you're researching in the catalog search box.
Title and Author Searches: Type the publication title and/or author name (or as much of it as you know) in the search box. If there is more than one title or name that begins with the text entered, you will be able to browse a list that begins with your entry.
Subject Searches: Subject searches are very useful because information professionals, such as librarians, assign the subjects to each resource. Enter your subject term in the Subject field provided by the catalog search form. Because subject headings are not always intuitive, it is usually best to begin with a keyword search. Once you find one or more relevant records, browse the assigned subject headings in the records and see if any closely match your subject interest. You can then run a subject search by merely clicking on one of these headings.
Limiting Search Results: After you do an initial search, you will see several options for filtering your search results. Options include language, material type, date, and publisher.