Hege Library & Learning Technologies

How Do I...? Guide

Finding Books Using the Library's Catalog

Find Books

Tips on searching the library catalog:

  1. Keywords are the best way to begin your search:
    • Try to break your topic into the words or phrases that express the central idea instead of using whole sentences or questions like you might in a Web search. 
    • If you're completely unfamiliar with your topic, look for background information (such as an encyclopedia or other reference source) on the library site, on the Web, or even on Wikipedia.
    • Consider synonyms (girls, women, female) of those ideas as well as related topics (drugs, addiction, mental health) as additional keywords to try.
  2. Use the options (filters) to the left of your search to narrow the results. You can limit your search to print or electronic books, articles, and other sources types; look for sources based on the date they were published; and more.
  3. The library's print books use the Library of Congress classification system. The first couple of letters of the call number indicate the item's location in the library; there is a chart with those locations to the right of the library elevator.