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Using the Library Catalog

The library’s Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) is called Voyager. Use it to find books, videos, CD’s, government documents, and other items the library owns. Course reserve materials are also listed on the OPAC. When you click on "Library Catalog" under the Research menu the OPAC search screen appears.  It has four tabs:

• BASIC SEARCH (the default tab): This enables you to search by keyword, start of title, author, subject, and several other ways. You can often narrow your search by limiting it by date of publication, format, etc.
• ADVANCED SEARCH: enables you to create a highly customized search using Boolean operators and a wide range of indexes.
• COURSE RESERVE: Search by instructor, school, and/or course number.
• NEW BOOKS, ETC.: enables you to limit your search to items added to the library’s collection within the past four months.

The result of your search will produce a single bibliographic record or a list of titles. If your search produces a list, click on a record to call it up. Each record has five tabs:

• BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD (the default tab): includes author, title, place of publication, publisher and date, as well as call number and status or availability, and sometimes additional information.
• CONTENTS/SUMMARY: If a record includes a list or description of its contents, this information would be included here.
• RELATED RECORDS: This tab provides links to other records on the same subject(s) or by the same author(s).
• LINKED RESOURCES: If a record is a link to an online document, you can click at this tab to access the document.
• STAFF VIEW: This tab is used primarily by library staff to view the record in its original MARC format.

After viewing a record or a group of records, you can save them or email them to your college email account.  You can also call up a Prior Searches tab. This will list all of your searches, so that you can combine them or return to any prior search at any time during your research.

Still confused?  See the OPAC help information – or ask the reference staff!

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