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Definitions |
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The online catalog can be searched by:
Author (including editors and corporate authors)
An author search retrieves a list of works written by a specific author whose name you already know. If you are looking for a single specific work, it may be easier to use a title search instead, especially if the author is a prolific writer.
| Search Tips | Examples |
|---|---|
| Type the last name first. It is not necessary to use capital letters or punctuation marks. | kadish alon shakespeare william morrison toni |
| Author searches also retrieve works of editors, illustrators, translators, composers, and other people who were involved in creating the work. | beethoven, ludwig sendak, maurice |
| You can search for the name of an association, organization, or company as an author. When such an entity (as opposed to an individual) is listed as the author of a work, that entity is known as a corporate author. | american mathematical society organisation for economic co-operation and development united states congress house |
Title
A title search retrieves a specific work when you already know its title. If more than one work matches the title you enter, you may get a list of titles, especially if the work has been published in different editions, translations, etc. If you are searching for a large number of specific works (for example, a list of books from a bibliography), searching by title is often more direct and efficient than searching by author. If you are unsure of the exact title, try the Word search option.
| Search Tips | Examples |
|---|---|
| It is not necessary to use capital letters or punctuation marks, nor is it necessary to enter the complete title, especially if it is very long. The first few words are often sufficient to find it in the catalog. | history of twentieth century russia rise and fall of the confed |
| Do not use initial articles ("a," "an," "the" in English; "le," "la," "les" in French; etc.) in a title search. | for a farewell to arms type farewell to arms for le nozze di Figaro type nozze di Figaro |
Subject
A Subject search retrieves a list of works about a particular topic. In most library catalogs, Subject searches are based on subject headings listed in Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH). The catalog will often provide a suggestion for a correct subject heading if the one you enter isn't used in the catalog. A librarian can also help you identify useful subject headings for your topic.
| Search Tips | Examples |
|---|---|
| Type all or the first part of the subject heading. It is not necessary to use capital letters or punctuation marks. | afro american scientists discrimination in empl music theory sports medicine |
| If you are searching for works about a person, type their last name first. | lincoln abraham monet claude x malcolm |
| You can also search for the name of a place, country, company, organization, or event as a subject. | amnesty international brazil history coca cola company vietnamese conflict 1961 1975 yosemite national park |
If you are unsure of the exact subject heading, first use the Word search option. You can then identify several LCSH subject headings by looking at those that have already been assigned to useful items identified through a Word search.
Words (in titles, authors, subject headings, or contents notes of records)
A Word search retrieves a list of works that have a particular word or combination of words in the author, title, subject heading, and notes portions of the catalog record. Word searches may help you locate a specific work when you can remember only a word or two from the title, or have a vague idea of the subject you are seeking.
| Search Tips | Examples |
|---|---|
| Use * to substitute for characters at the end of a word. This feature, known as truncation, will find variations of the root of the word. | for aborigine, aborigines, aboriginal type aborigin* |
| Use "and" between words to find works that have ALL of your terms. | impeach* and clinton hume and ethic* vertebrate* and evolution |
| Use "or" between words to find works that have ANY of your terms. | gay* or lesbian* or homosexual* or queer |
| You can combine "and" and "or" in one search phrase; use parentheses to group terms connected with "or." | italian and (engrav* or etching* or print*) (toxic or hazardous) and waste* |
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