In a list of results from your library’s catalog, a book’s title and date of publication will often be your first clues as to whether the book is worth consulting. If a title looks interesting, you can click on it for further information: the book’s subject matter and its length, for example.

After you have conducted a search in the catalog, you can scan for potential sources and preview the most promising. The same techniques can apply to books that you find by browsing the library shelves.

Scanning results (or the shelves) for potential usefulness

Look in the search results for keywords that are associated with a book. Sometimes those keywords can suggest other searches that might generate additional relevant books.

Previewing promising books