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Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) Tutorial
The Online Catalog includes records of print, electronic books and media materials owned by the Library. To begin searching the Online Catalog, click on the button located on the homepage.
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BASIC SEARCH |
1. Enter your search terms in the search box.
2. Click the button below for the type of search you are requesting.
3. If you want to limit your search to electronic books only, checkmark the box.
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This is the broadest search type. Matches your search term(s) anywhere in the catalog record (i.e., title, author, subject, publisher, notes, table of contents, etc.) |
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Enter Author's name in any order (i.e., "Alice Walker" or "Walker Alice") |
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Matches your search term(s) in the title field of the catalog record |
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Use only Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) in this field. If you're not sure, start with a "word or phrase" search and look under "Try these too..." for suggested Subject Headings. |
Once you click on one of the search buttons, you will see a list of titles. Notice your search terms appear at the top of the list; look to the right of the screen for suggested subject heading you can use to modify and refine your search.
In the example above, "death penalty" is a word search, and the computer suggests using "capital punishment" as a subject search.
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4. To find out information about a book, click on the Details link.
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5. Note the call number (to the left) and location (to the right) to help you find the book on the shelves.
Books may be located in the Reference, Reserve Desk or the Circulation Desk collections. Only "Books" in the "Stacks" may be checked out of the library; other collections are for Library Use Only
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6. Check the library map links on the homepage to find where in the library stacks the book is located.
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Library Map - 1st Floor(001-699), Faculty Reserve, Circulation Desk
Library Map - 2nd Floor (700-999), Fiction, Reference, Reserve
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| 7. For electronic books, click on details; click next on "A Look Inside." This link will take you to one of our electronic databases where you can read this book full-text online. |
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8. The Catalog Record tab provides additional information about the book.
The Subject terms in this example suggest that this book is about capital punishment in the United States, and that it has statistical information.
You can click on the subject terms to get a list of other books the library has on the same topic.
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If you want more information about searching our catalog, click on ADVANCED SEARCH.
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| If you are not finding what you need, please go to the Reference Desk located on the 2nd floor of the Library and a Reference Librarian will be happy to assist you. |
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