Search Library Catalogs
Library catalogs provide information about the materials in a library’s collection. Online catalogs provide information about the author(s), title, publication date, subject heading, and call number for each source in the library’s collection. Typically, they also indicate the location of the source in the library and whether the source is available for checkout.
Library catalogs typically help you locate
- books
- journals owned by the library (although not individual articles)
- newspapers and magazines owned by the library (although not individual articles)
- documents stored on microfilm or microfiche
- videotapes, audiotapes, and other multimedia items owned by the library
- maps
- theses and dissertations completed by college or university graduate students
In addition to searching the library catalog at your college or university, you can also benefit from searching other catalogs available on the Web. The Library of Congress online catalog (catalog.loc.gov), for example, presents a comprehensive list of publications on a particular subject or by a particular author. Some sites, such as WorldCat (www.worldcat.org), allow you to locate or search multiple libraries. If you find a promising source that your library doesn’t own, you can request it through interlibrary loan.
Most library catalogs allow you to search or browse for sources by keywords and phrases, author(s), title, subject, and call number. The following examples illustrate common types of searches.
Search by keyword. You can search for a specific keyword or phrase.
Search by author. If you search by author, you can find sources written by a particular person or organization.
Search by title. If you know either the exact title of a source or some of the words in the title, you can search by title to find sources.
Browse by call number or subject heading. To locate sources related to a promising result, search by either call number or subject heading.
