You can search the catalog by going to the library website and using the serch bar there or scrolling down to click "Library Catalog."
When searching the library catalog, you can search for specific titles or general subjects. The way you search will determine how many search results are retrieved and how relevant they are. See the next tab on "Advanced Searching" for tips on refining your search results.
Using our simple search bar will automatically search everything the library has access to (this includes physical holdings and e-resources).
If you want to search only the library catalog, eBooks, articles, course reserves, or NewsBank you can use the dropdown arrow next to the search bar.
Unlike a simple search, advance search can be used for any type of search. An advanced search works well when you have multiple keywords or phrases that you want to use.
In the library catalog click "Advanced Search" next to the search bar and a new search will pop up.
At the top you can choose where you want to search (this is the same as a simple search).
Enter each search term in a separate search bar. Next to each search bar there will be a few drop-down menus that you can use to refine your results.
1. (red) This box is used to search specific fields of a catalog record. If you choose "author" then you will only get results where your search term appears in the author field of the record. If your search term is used in the title or other parts of the text, those results will not show.
2. (green) This box is used if you want to search for exact phrases and functions the same way as quotation marks do in a search. If your search term is two words and you select "contains exact phrase" then you will only retrieve results where those two words appear exactly as you type them (spelling mistakes included).
3. (purple) This box is used for narrowing or expanding your search. Using AND/OR when you use multiple search terms will affect your results. See the examples and Ven diagrams below for tips on using AND/OR in your search.
Use "AND" & "OR" to narrow or expand your search. Using "AND" will only show results that contain both words/phrases (narrows your search). Using "OR" will show results that contain at least one of the words/phrases (expands your search).
Keep in mind that searching the catalog or databases should be done using keywords rather than phrases. If you are using a phrase, then make sure to put it in quotation marks to keep those words together in your search. From the previous example if you search presidential elections vs "presidential elections" you will get different results.
If you need to add more words or phrases in your search you can use the "+ ADD A NEW LINE" button to create a new line with the same drop-down menus and search bar.
One way to filter your search results is by using the drop-down menu next to the search bar. Here you can search everything library has access to (physical collections and e-resources) or select a specific area to search.
You can use the menu on the left side of the screen to filter your results. This will allow you to narrow your search and filter out results you don't want. If you want to expand your results to search outside of materials the library has access to, you can click "Expand My Results" on the left side of the screen above the filters. You can use this to find materials the library does not have access to and then request them through interlibrary loan. See the page on Borrowing From Another Library for more information on how to do this.
You can also change how your search results are displayed by using the "Sort By" filter. This will allow you to organize your results by relevance, date, title, or author.
With the Availability filter you can include a section in your results by clicking on the open box on the left of the filter. You can also exclude a selection from your results by clicking the checked box with a line through it on the right side of the filter.
To search for journals you can click the three dots and select "Journal Search" from the options. This will allow you to view only journals that the library has in print or online access to through one of our databases.
Use the catagories on the left side of the screen to search by subject or use the search bar to search by journal title.
To do a "Browse Search" click on the the three dots in the upper right corner of the screen and select Browse.
Use the dropdown menu on the left side of the search bar to choose between author, title or Library of Congress call number. This type of search will show results in alphabetical order that contain the word you searched for. This is a different type of searching that may be useful for various types of research or may serve as a starting point.
