Finding Books on Your Topic

To find books on your topic, search the libraries online catalog. The catalog is *not* a search engine (e.g. Yahoo!); it is an electronic inventory (that contains thousands of records) of all the materials owned by the Libraries.

Each catalog record tells you the author/editor and title of an item, which library has it, the library location, the call number, the number of copies, and the item status (item status means if the item is still in the library or has been borrowed).

1. Start at the UM Libraries' home page.
   
   
2. Click on Catalog (books & more).
   
   
3. Do a word/s in title search. Enter your key words into the search box

   SAMPLE TOPIC:

   I need to find information on the ethics of cloning.
   Your key words are:  ethics    cloning
   
   

4. AND is a Boolean connector used to connect different terms together in the same record. The catalog automatically searches by connecting words using AND; therefore, you may search without using AND since it is implied.
   
   
5. Click on the search button.



6. On the results screen, scroll down and examine your results.




7. Click on the Library of Congress Subject(s) headings to find other library items on your topic.
   e.g. Click on the subject Cloning -- Moral and ethical aspects
   

8. Click on a title to obtain more information.
   
   
9. Click on Availability to find out the library location and call number.
   
   
10. Use the McKeldin Floor Plan & Stack Directory to locate the book's call number in relation to the appropriate floor in the library.

11. Retrieve the book from the shelf.

12. Examine and evaluate the book and determine if it is relevant to your topic. Add relevant sources to your bibliography.

13. Borrow books at the Circulation Desk; remember to present your student ID card. Also, there are photocopy machines on every floor of the library. For information about getting a photocopy card, see the McKeldin Library Copy Shop.

14. Off-campus or remote access to the catalog requires no special password, gateway, or barcode number. Simply begin at the Libraries' home page and click on Catalog (books & more).

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