Getting Started: Searching

Begin exploring the catalog from the Search/Home page, where you can do different types of searches, log in for customer benefits, and access all types of information that your library has selected for you.

1. To begin searching, type a term in the search box under Quick Search.
2. To narrow your search, select one of the following options before clicking the Search button. Some systems may require that you click an option button, such as Author or Title, to begin your search.
   
   • Words or phrase
   • Author
   • Title
   • Subject
   • Series
   • Periodical title
   • Family Surname
   • Genre
3. Select a library branch or catalog to search in the Library Locations or Catalog box, or select ALL to include all branches or catalogs in the search.
4. If available, you can redo a search you’ve already done by selecting it from the Previous Searches box.

Your search results may be a single catalog record or a list of catalog records.

Other Search Features

Typically, the first search page that you access in the catalog has simple Quick Search options. However, you can return to Quick Search from other search pages by clicking Quick Search, if available, or by clicking Search/Home.

Click Advanced Search to further refine your initial search.

Click Browse or Browse Search to browse on authors, titles, subjects, series, or journal titles. Some libraries may refer to this as a Heading search.

Click Call Number Search to search for a specific call number. If you are familiar with your library’s catalog record item types, you can choose a specific item type to search under from the Item Type box. You can limit your call number search by the area of the library that the item is located from the Shelf Location box.

If available, click SingleSearch to do a simultaneous search over a variety of resources, including databases and other library catalogs.