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Campbell: Find Library Materials

A research guide for the use of students in Dr. Campbell's ENL111 class

Books

Searching the library catalog (WorldCat)

  • A library catalog contains records for all the library materials owned by a library. To search for a specific author, title, or subject and to limit your search in a number of other ways, you should use the "Advanced Search" method found under the search box. The "Advanced Search" will also allow you to search for materials from other libraries (see below).
  • After doing a catalog search, you should see a results list. To the left of your results list, you will notice several checkboxes that will help you narrow your search by format, year, language, content type, subject terms, author, and databases. 
  • Near the bottom of each item in the list, there will be a "Worldwide Editions and Formats" field, showing what libraries own the item in addition to Penn College. 
  • Do a search in the catalog on "automotive repair" and observe the results list and the boxes on the left. Click on the checkbox for "Book". Clicking on the title of any item in the results list will provide you with additional information about the item.
  • Scroll down the screen that appears and notice the various links with important information about the item you chose. Pay particular attention to the "Subjects" links which will give you the major subjects the item deals with. These subjects are hyperlinked; clicking on them will often provide you with more results on the same subjects. A big green checkmark next to the word "Available" will tell you that the book is on the shelf, where in the library the item is located, and the call number on the label on the book.

When to Use Books

Why:

  • To get the most comprehensive and general information
  • To get information from experts who've spent a lot of time researching and writing about your topic

Why not:

  • Less current than articles
  • If it's 2 a.m., a book won't help you get your paper done until the library opens (unless it's an eBook!)

If you need items from other libraries ...

Search Inside Books