Research Guides: Nagy: Finding Books

Why use books?

In today's online world, do books still have a part to play? Absolutely!

Books can provide you with reliable information you can count on and include in your works cited/reference page. They often provide:

Background information
In-depth coverage of topic
Chapters that can break a topic down into smaller, more easily understood pieces
Pointers to more information on the same topic.

Just remember that books take much longer to write and become published, so if you are researching very recent issues or topics, journal articles may be more useful.

eBooks

eBook Collection This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Full-text of eBooks on a variety of topics.

Interlibrary Loan

Interlibrary Loan
Can't find the article or the book you want? Use Tipasa, our interlibrary loan system, to request what you need from another library. Tipasa is incorporated into many of our databases. Look for the button or words Request It from Interlibrary Loan to request a copy of the article or book from another library. This service is free of charge for students.

Using the Library Catalog

Search Tips

combine keywords using AND or OR for more precise results
use "quotation marks" to search for phrases
to search by title, start your search with ti:
to search by author, start your search with au:last name, first name
to search by ISBN, start your search with isbn:
use Advanced Search to combine search categories, as well as limit by date, format, etc.
to search other libraries, select Libraries Worldwide from the drop-down box for location

WorldCat This link opens in a new window
The Madigan Library Discovery catalog includes the largest network of content and services. Includes articles, books, eBooks, videos, and digital items.

Call Numbers

The Madigan Library uses the Library of Congress classification system. Similar to the Dewey Decimal system, which most public and school libraries use, the books are organized by subject, but the Library of Congress system uses shorter combinations of letters and numbers to signify broad and specific subject areas, author names, and publication dates. An outline of the LC system, provided at the link below, may help you to browse the library shelves for your topic, and contains links to subject areas for more specific detail.

Don't forget, if you ever have trouble locating a physical item in the library, just take the call number to the main circulation desk and the friendly staff there will help you!

Library of Congress Classification Outline
The Library of Congress Classification Outline lists the main subject headings (what the first letter in each call number stands for). Clicking on any particular subject heading will expand the list to include subclassifications.