University Library > Guides > How to Use the Catalog

How to Use the Library Catalog: 1. Basic Search

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The University Library Catalog contains records of library holdings, including books, government documents, periodicals, pamphlets, video recordings, DVDs, CDs, etc. physically contained in the library. The Catalog also has records for some online books, journals, documents and databases which may be used by UW-W students, faculty, and staff. This guide focuses on the basic search. Please, refer to How to Use the Library Catalog: 2. Additional Features, the Universal Borrowing Tutorial and the Library Catalog Tutorial for assistance with other search options.

Accessing

To access the Library Catalog from any University Library webpage, select Books from the Find menu and click on University Library Catalog. It is also searchable directly from the library homepage.

To exit the catalog, click on Library Home at the top or bottom of the page.

Searching

  1. Select the Basic Search tab from among the following by clicking on it on the display:
    • Basic Search
    • Advanced Search
    • Course Reserves
    • Recent Acquisitions
  2. Select an option from the Search By menu by clicking on one of the following:
    • Keyword(s)
    • Title
    • Subject Heading
    • Relevance
    • Author
    • Journal Title
    • Call Number
  3. Type search term(s) in the Search For textbox. The term(s) used depend on the research topic and the type of search being conducted:

    Keyword Search Techniques

    To retrieve records with: Search for:
    various forms of a word, such as sail, sails, sailor or sailing sail?
    a phrase (articles, pronouns and prepositions are ignored) "endangered species act"
    more than one word, adjacent or not, use AND endangered and species
    synonyms or other related words, use OR england or britain or "united kingdom"
    multiple words, including synonyms, use ( ) around OR phrase crim? and violen? and (juvenile? or teen?) not urban

    Author Search Techniques

    Type in the last name then the first name. Omit punctuation. ibsen henrik

    Title Search Techniques

    Type in the title of a book, video, etc. Omit initial article. catcher in the rye

    Journal Title Search Techniques

    Type in a journal, magazine or newspaper title. Omit initial article. new england journal of medicine

    NOTE: The Journal Title search is only guaranteed to find periodicals to which the library has a print subscription. To save time, check for print and online holdings simultaneously using the Citation Linker.

    Subject Heading Search Techniques

    Type in a Library of Congress Subject Heading or words from one. american literature 19th century

    Call Number Search Techniques

    Type in known call number, including punctuation PN1997.85 .H42 1987

    Relevance Search Techniques

    various forms of a word, such as sail, sails, sailor or sailing sail?
    a phrase (articles, pronouns and prepositions are ignored) "endangered species act"
    essential or required terms, use + +marx +"political science"
  4. Click on to run the search to retrieve a list of records for library materials.
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Headings Lists

All searches produce a list of results; these fall into two basic categories, the Headings List and the Title List.

Authority Headings List

Author and Subject Heading searches result in an authority headings list. This list does not contain item information, but rather lists headings, which in turn link to lists of library materials that have been assigned that heading. For example, a Subject Heading search for jargon returns a list beginning with the following:

Authority Headings Listd

  • Click on Note to display additional information about the heading
  • Click on See also to display related subject headings or personal name
  • Click on a heading to see a title list of materials using that heading

To see more headings in the same list, click on either Previous button or Next button .

To return to the Headings List from another screen click on Headings List.

To start another search click on New Search.

Title List

Keyword, Title, Journal Title, and Relevance searches result in list of items held in the library, arranged in a pre-determined order:

  • Title/Journal Title - alphabetical order by title
  • Keyword - chronological by publication date (newest first)
  • Relevance - ranked by the relative frequency, location and proximity of the search terms

It is possible to change the order by choosing a different option from the Sort by menu. For example, the following Title List shows the results of a Title search for love and war:

Title Listd2

  • The holdings statement (location, call number and status) of each single item is listed under its title in the highlighted section. If the item consists of several volumes or copies, you will be instructed to click on the title to get the holdings information.
  • To find out more information about an item click on the title.
  • Write down an item's title, location and call number before going to find it

To see more headings in the same list, click on either Previous button or Next button .

To return to the title list from another screen click on Title List. 

To start new search click on New Search. 

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The Item Record

Item Recordd3

  • Database - The name of the library who's catalog is being searched (since the catalog can be used to search other UW system libraries, this can be very useful information)
  • Main Author - The name of the primary or principal author of the work
  • Title - The title of the work.
  • Subjects - The Library of Congress, or other, Subject Headings assigned to the work
  • Publisher - The place of publication, publisher and date of publication of the work
  • Location - Area in library where item is shelved.
  • Call Number - Item's shelf location. For Internet items, a link is provided in the Linked Resources field. Periodicals are shelved alphabetically by title, so do not usually have call numbers.
  • Status - Indicates item availability. "Non-Circulating" indicates an item must be used in the library
  • Library has - The holdings statement, in other words which volumes, issues, etc. the library has

The Brief View of an Item Record is displayed first. This contains facts such as the author, title, publisher and place of publication. Also included are descriptive subjects which are clickable links to lists of subject headings.

Click on the Full View button to display more details about the item, such as a summary or table of contents.

To start new search, click on New Search at the top or bottom of the page.

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Printing, Saving & E-mailing

To do several records at once, start by marking the box next to each title.

Select options in the box at the bottom of each list and item record to print, save or email records from the catalog.

Save Options

First, if offered, choose a set of records by clicking in the radio dial next to All on page or Selected on page. Selected on page refers to marked items. To mark an item, click in the box next to its title. Then,

  • To Print - Click on the Display to Print or Save button, then on the Print button on the browser's toolbar. Click OK in the dialogue box.
    • Note: There is a 10? per page charge for printing in the library.
  • To Save Click on the Display to Print or Save button. Click on the File menu and select Save As... Select storage device from the Save in: menu. Type a name for the file in the File name: box with the extension .txt. Click on the Save button
    • For Example: A:myfile.txt. Click on the Save button. 
  • To E-mail - Type your complete e-mail address into the email address box. Click on the e-mail button to send the record(s).

Help

To read online instructions on how to use the catalog click on Help at any time while in the catalog.

For assistance using additional catalog features, read How to Use the Library Catalog: 2. Additional Features.

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For assistance, contact a reference librarian at (262) 472-1032, by email or chat or in person at the Library's Reference Desk.

Last Revised: MS - 8/23/2007