Using the Library Catalog

You may wish to connect to the online catalog in a separate window and follow the steps outlined below.

Step 1: The opening screen

This is a redirect page. After a few seconds, you will automatically be taken to the search screen. If you are accessing the Catalog from the Library Homepage, you have to select a library from the list first, then you will be redirected.

Step 2: The Search screen

The first thing you should do on this screen is select a Library from the pull-down menu. You may select one library, a group of libraries (e.g. PCCC Paterson & PCCC Wanaque), or leave the option for ALL libraries selected. If you forget to follow this important step, it may take some time to sort through the search results and find items at the library you are interested in.

When you have selected your library, type your search term(s) in the search box. Then, the only other thing you have to do on this screen is select a method to search by. You have 6 options available in the pull-down menu next to the search box. The words or phrase option is the default (automatic) selection. This is equivalent to the keyword search you have already read so much about. A keyword search is the most thorough type of search, and is recommended for searching topics.

The remainder of this tutorial will focus on keyword searching. However, if you need to find books by a particular author, search by author. If you are searching for one particular book (and know the title), search by title.

Subject searching is a little more tricky than keyword searching, because the system matches your terms to "official" subject headings in the catalog. If you don't type in an "official" subject heading, you may get few if any results. Thus, if you are searching for books on a topic, I recommend searching by words or phrase first.

The two other options are to search by series, which is a related set of books by a certain publisher. This isn't used very often. Finally, you can also search by periodical title, but this is out of the scope of what I want to cover.

Step 3: The Search Results screen

After you perform a search, a Search Results screen will appear. Near the top of the screen, the system will display the number of titles that match your search term(s). As you scroll down the page, you will see a list of citations. Citations are very brief descriptions of items that are retrieved for a search. Up to 20 citations will appear on one page. If your search retrieved more than 20 items, you will have to use the arrows at the bottom of the page to navigate to other pages.

Citations in the online catalog consist of the following information: the author and title of the book, the year of publication, a picture of the cover if available, the number of copies available at the selected libraries, and possible some small icons that allow you to read a review, excerpt, summary, and/or table of contents of the book if available. Information from the citations will help you decide which books are appropriate for your research. The citations are listed in chronological order, latest publications first.

Other features available on this screen include a box of "categories" on the right hand side of the screen. If you wish to narrrow down your search to results from one of these categories, simply click the category that interests you. Alternatively, you may change or revise your search with a variety of limiters located in the Search Again box at the bottom of the screen.

A word of warning: when navigating back and forth through the Library Catalog it is best to use the link at the top of each screen labeled Go Back as opposed to the Back button in your browser!

You may compile a list of citations while searching by pressing the Keep button for the books you are interested in, then going to the Kept link at the top of the page when you are ready to view them. More often though, catalog users press the Details button (or the cover image, if available), to find out more about the book.

Step 4: The Details screen

When you follow the Details link, you will view a screen containing more information on the item. This screen has 3 tabs near the top that control the information that is displayed: Item Information (the default, or automatic selection), A Look Inside, and Catalog Record.

The Item Information tab gives you the author, title, summary (if available), publisher, publication date, # of pages in the book, and information about where you may find the book near the bottom, under Holdings.

There are several columns of information in the Holdings section. The first column identifies which library or libraries have the book, and list the call number. This number will help you locate the book on the shelves. The second colums lists how many copies are available. The third column, Material, tells you whether the item is a book, video, etc. The final column, Location, tells you what section of the library the book is in and if it is currently available or checked out.

If you click the A Look Inside tab, you can read a summary of the book if available, view the table of contents if available, read reviews if available, or even read an excerpt from the book, if available. These are valuable features that will help you determine if a book is worth finding.

Finally, if you click the Catalog Record tab, you will find information that is similar to the Item Information tab. However, this is the only place you will be able to find the place of publication of the book. This is important for when you have to do a bibliography, and can be found in the Publication info field. This screen also displays clickable Subject terms. You may click on one of these to perform a new search.

On the left hand side of all 3 of the Details screens, there is that box containing all the "categories" if you wish to narrow down your search. From this box, you may also click to find items by the same author, items with the same subject, or items on the same shelf. These features may be useful if you've found a book that is really useful, and want to find books similar to that one.

Library Catalog: Points to remember

• The Library Catalog is used primarily to search for books
• Select a library from the pull-down menu on the search screen if you wish to limit your search to a specific library
• Choose a method to search by. A words or phrase search is the easiest and most thorough type of search, and is recommended for searching topics
• Citations are brief descriptions of the items retrieved in a search, and contain information such as the author, title, and date of publication
• Search results are displayed in chronological order, latest items first
• Click the Details button for more in depth information on the item
• The call number is important for finding the book, and can be found on the Details screen, under the Item Information tab
• Explore the A Look Inside tab to view summaries, reviews, excerpts, and contents, when available
• The Catalog Record tab is the only place you can find the place of publication
• Remember, when navigating back and forth through the Library Catalog it is best to use the link at the top of each screen labeled Go Back as opposed to the Back button in your browser

Also see:
- Using Library Catalogs (Utah Acad. Lib. Consortium)
- Keyword vs. Subject Searching (California St. Univ. system)
- Enhancing Search Statements (Utah Acad. Lib. Consortium)
- Boolean Operators (and, or, not) (California St. Univ. system)