1. Welcome to the Library
Catalog Module

2. About this Tutorial
Students:
• This tutorial is an introduction to basic techniques for searching the library’s online catalog.
• At the end of this tutorial you should be able to use the catalog to search for materials by:
– Keyword
– Subject
– Author
– Title
– Journal Title
– Course Name (for reserve items)
– Professor Name (for reserve items)
• Understand what materials are available for:
– in-house use only
– Checkout
It should take you about 15 minutes to complete.
Faculty:
• This tutorial was made using Microsoft PowerPoint 2007.
• This tutorial will help students
– Locate library materials, including reserve items, using the online catalog
– Differentiate between keyword and subject searches and when to use each
– Determine which materials are available for in-house use only and which can be checked out
This tutorial meets the following ACRL standards:
1.1c 1.3a
1.1e 2.2b

3. What to watch for…
Notes –
These are to let you know
there is important
information you need to
know about what is being
covered.

4. Years ago, when you
wanted to find out if a
library had a book you
combed through drawers of
cards, known as a card
catalog.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/qul_photos/204115138
Today it is as easy as entering a
word or two into the proper place
on the library homepage. In
seconds you will have a list of all
the books the library has on your
topic.

5. Still there may be a lot of books in a given search. How do you narrow
the list to the ones that will give you what you need?
This module will help you learn how to do the following types of
searches: keyword, author, subject, title, journal title, and more.
First let’s review how to find the library homepage and learn where the
library’s online catalog is located.

6. How to get
to the library
homepage…
You can find the
library catalog by
going to the ECU
home page, and
click on the
Linscheid Library
link under
“Academics.”

7. On the Library Homepage…
The library catalog, known as the CatPac, is the grey box located in
the middle of the library’s homepage.

8. Take a closer look…
Here you see that the drop-down menu
provides several options for searching the
catalog:
keyword, title, author, subject, journal
title, course, and professor. Let’s look at
these individually.

9. First, The Basics –
Searching by Author If you want to know
what books we have by
a particular author it is
as easy as 1…2…3!
1.Select Author from the drop-
down menu.
2.Type the author’s name (last
name first) in the search box.
The results will be listed 3.Click Search.
on the next screen.
Let’s take a closer look …

10. A results list like this provides you with many valuable pieces of information.
First, notice the icon on the left side.
The first one indicates that the item is a movie, so this is available as VHS or DVD.
The second one indicates that the item is a book.
Location - Tells you which part of the library to find the item in.
Call # - This is the library’s number for where the item is located on the shelf. Each shelf end has cards
and guides to help you find the location.
Status – This tells you whether the item is available or not. You may see any of the following in the status
box:
NOT CHECKED OUT – The item should be on the shelf and ready to be checked out.
DUE 00-00-00 – The item is checked out and the due date is given.
MISSING – This item has not been returned or cannot be located.
BIND – This item has been sent out to be repaired.
LIBRARY USE ONLY – This item is available to use in the library, but cannot be checked out. These are usually reference or
special collections items.

11. It’s the same for
Searching by Title If you know the title of a
particular book then it is easy
to find out if the library has a
copy…
1.Select Title from the drop-down
menu.
2.Type the name of the book in
the search box.
3.Click Search.
Again, the results will be
listed on the next screen.

12. The same goes for searching by…
Journal
If you want to see if the library has a certain Title
journal in the collection then
1. Click the Journal Title button
2. Enter the title in the search bar
3. And click submit.
Since this is a more specific
search the next screen
should be the item record
and it will tell you what
copies of that journal are
in the library, and in what
format: print, microfilm or
microfiche.
You can also use this option to search
for other periodicals, like newspapers.

13. In the example on the left, you
Journal can see that the library has
Title access to this publication in
three different formats.
The oldest copies are bound
into books and have a call
number where you can locate
them on the shelf.
Volume 3 to more current are
on microfiche (some
periodicals are available on
microfilm).
Current and archived copies
are available through
electronic access using the
link provided.

14. Finally, we will look at searching by:
Keyword
And These are most commonly used when you
Subject don’t have a specific item in mind, but are
instead trying to find what the library has
on a certain topic.
Depending on the information you
need, you must decide which of
these searches will give you the
information you are seeking.
These two search choices give very
different results.

15. KEYWORD SEARCHING
Also known as an ANYWHERE SEARCH
Looks for words in ANY field within
the databases’ records
(title, author, subject, description, an
d more)
Searches using
normal, everyday words
(not technical jargon).
May find results that use
your search term in a
different way than you had
intended (banking used in
reference to airplanes, not
finance).
Typically returns a broad
search with lots of results.

16. Let’s take a closer
For this search, I simply used the term “BEAR,”
look at a
but look at how varied the results are.
Keyword One is a novel. The next is a map. The third is a
nonfiction book about ancient bears.
Search.

17. SUBJECT SEARCHING
Also known as CONTROLLED VOCABULARY
or DESCRIPTOR searching
Finds only results on the topic searched.
Searches using words assigned to
the topic by “experts” in the
subject area or by publishers
and database systems.
Can be difficult to find the “right”
subject heading or descriptor for your
topic. (Ex: Is it sea mammals, or
marine mammals?)
Typically narrows or refines a search.

18. Now, let’s take a closer
look at a
This time using the same search term
“BEARS,” the results are very different than
Subject before.
Search.
This time the search results are broken
down into specific subcategories.
I used a very general term to search, if I chose a specific type of bear (Grizzly or Black) or a
specific type of resource (type such as fiction or nonfiction or format such as books or
DVDs) that I wanted to find, my results would have been even more specific to my needs.

19. The final two ways to
search the CatPac have
to do with course
reserves.
Course reserves are a way for your
professors to reserve items just for
your class.
If your professor has said that they
put on something on reserve for
your class, you would use this
option to find it.
First, you select one of the options
in the drop-down menu, then you
type in either… Some reserves are online and
•the name of your professor or some are held in print in the
• the name of the class. library. The CatPac will tell you
how to access the reserve items
you need.

20. http://wpoptimist.org/attachments/Image/spellingbee.gif
Remember, spelling counts whether
you are searching on the library
catalog or on the internet.
If you misspell a word your search
will return only those results where
someone else misspelled the word
the same way you did.
If you are unsure, ask the Reference
Librarian.

21. Let’s Review
KEYWORD SEARCHING SUBJECT SEARCHING
Also known as an ANYWHERE SEARCH Also known as CONTROLLED VOCABULARY
or DESCRIPTOR searches
Finds search term Finds only results on
anywhere in the record. the topic searched.
Searches everyday Searches using “expert” terms
language. or subject specific terms
Often returns unexpected Need to know the right
results if word has more terminology to return
than one meaning. the right search results.
Typically returns a broad Typically narrows or
search with lots of results. refines a search .

22. Thank you for taking
a tour of the
library’s online catalog!
Now you know how to search by:
• Author
• Title
• Keyword
• Subject
• Course name
• Professor name
You should now be able to find And remember, if you are having
resources for your research papers difficulty finding the right search
or just some fun reading. terms, contact the library’s
Reference Desk.