How To Find a Book on a Topic
(Flash video version)
- To find a book on a topic, choose the Cat from University Libraries homepage at www.libraries.psu.edu or from your campus library page.
- Enter your topic.
- From the drop-down menu on the right, choose topic search, which will search for the words only the title and assigned subjects. This is a more precise search than a keyword search, and is more likely to result in books specifically on your topic. A keyword search looks for the words in all the information listed for a book.
- If you would like to limit your search to a specific Penn State library, use the menu below the search box. Remember that all Penn State students can easily borrow books from any library in the system. If you decide to limit your search to a specific library and don't find what you want, be sure to look again searching all Penn State libraries.
- Once you have entered the search criteria, click search.
- You will see the number of items returned by your search at the top of the page. Titles are displayed chronologically with the most recently published items first, 20 per page. Use the navigation at the top or bottom of the page to see other results pages.
- When you find a title that might be of interest, click the details tag for more information. The details screen includes all the information needed to cite the work. There may also be links to online information about the book. In this case, links lead to biographical information about the author, a sample section of the book, and the table of contents.
- The details screen also shows which libraries hold the book. If your library owns the book, make note of the call number to find it on the shelves. If not, you can request the book by using the I Want It button to the left of the screen.
- Additional information about the book can be viewed by clicking the more tab at the top. The contents of the book may help you decide whether it will have the information you need.
- Check the subject headings assigned to any relevant item found. Searching by subject heading, either by clicking it or by returning to the search page and using it as an LCSubject heading can refine your search to find all the books specifically about a topic.
- If you have trouble finding a book on a topic, please ask a librarian for help.
Judy Sandt, Reference Librarian
Penn State Lehigh Valley Library
jsandt@psu.edu
610-285-5028
Last updated September 12, 2008Graphics by SandDancr Studios