Catalogue Help

Searching

Type the word you want to find. For example:

  • design
  • bleachers grisham

Search Tips

Adjacency
Multiple words are searched together as one phrase.
Example : world health organization
Boolean Operators
Use "and" or "or" to specify multiple words in any field, any order. Use "and not" to exclude words.
Example : stocks and bonds
Example : (alaska or canada) and (adventure and not vacation)
Field Limits
A field limit causes the system to search only the specified field for the specified word(s).
Grouping
Word search results are usually grouped by relevance to bring the most likely titles to the top of the list. Each group represents a similar level of relevance and results are sorted within the group by date or title. To get an ungrouped result set, use boolean operators to form a complex query.

Most relevant Most relevant titles 

Highly relevant Highly relevant titles 

Very relevant Very relevant titles 

Relevant Relevant titles 

Other relevant Other relevant titles 

Advanced Word Search Tips

Multiple Words
When searching multiple words the system will automatically supply the Boolean "and" operator between each word; multiple words entered for the search will all occur somewhere in the retrieved records though not necessarily in the order entered. Both examples on the right will retrieve the same results.
Examples : university science department, university and science and department
Phrase Searches
Search for complete phrases by enclosing them in quotation marks. Words enclosed in double quotes will appear together in all results exactly as typed.
Examples : "university science department"
Wildcards
* Matches any number of non-space characters, starting at the specified position in the word. ?   You may use a question mark ('?') to replace a single character anywhere within a word.
Examples : "comput*" will match all words that begin with "comput" (e.g., "computer", "computation", etc.).
The '*' wildcard may also be embedded in a search string.
Examples : wom?n
Phrase Searches
Search for complete phrases by enclosing them in quotation marks. Words enclosed in double quotes will appear together in all results exactly as typed.
Examples : "university science department"

Saving Your Searches

If you have a favorite author or subject for which you often search when using the catalog, you can save the search with the click of a button. This will prevent you from having to key in the search each time and let you place reserves on new materials quicker.

How to:

  1. Log into the catalogue by clicking the "Catalogue Login" button.
  2. Click on the "New Search" button in the top menu.
  3. Search for your favorite author, subject, title, etc. or create an advanced word search including limits to material type, language, publication year, etc..
  4. When your results are displayed, click the "Save as Preferred Search" button.
  5. The next time that you log into your account, you can click the "Preferred Searches" button to see a list of your saved searches.
  6. Click on the "Search" link associated with any of the preferred search terms in the list to quickly execute your search.
  7. You can be alerted of new materials added to the library collection which match your searches. Just check the "Mark for Email" box and be sure that your patron record information includes your current email address.

Saving Catalogue Records

To save University Library Catalogue records for future reference, you can mark them and use the "Save to My Lists" button to compile a list.

How to:

  1. Search for your favorite author, subject, title, etc. or create an advanced word search including limits to material type, language, publication year, etc..
  2. When your results are displayed, mark the records you want to save into a list.
  3. Click the "Save to My Lists" button.
  4. Authenticate using either your NSID or barcode.
  5. You will be prompted to create a name for a new list or add to an existing list in the drop down box.
  6. If you are already logged in when searching you can select a list directly from the search results.
  7. The next time that you log into your account, you can click the "My Lists" button to see all of your saved lists.

While viewing any of your lists you can preform the following operations:

  • To sort records in any of your lists, click the link above the appropriate column. Choices are "Title" or "Author" to the list.
  • To delete all records in a list, click the "Delete All" button. Click "OK", when prompted.
  • To delete selected records, check the mark box next to each appropriate record. Click the "Delete Marked" button.
  • To export records, click the "Export List" button.
  • To remove records duplicated in your reading history, click the "Remove Duplicates" button.
  • To move selected records to another list.
    1. Check the mark box next to each appropriate record.
    2. Click the "Move Marked" button.
    3. You will be prompted to create a name for a new list or move to an existing list in the drop down box.

Renewals

Library cardholders may renew their own materials online. All material may be renewed except for materials with reserves and materials on which you owe fines.

How to:

  1. Log into My Account.
  2. If not the default view click the "Items currently checked out" link to view the materials you have checked out.
  3. Select the materials you want to renew by checking the boxes in the "RENEW" column and then click the "Renew Selected" button. If you want to renew everything, click the "Renew ALL" button.
  4. If you cannot renew items, a message will appear on the screen. If you are successful, a new due date will appear in the "STATUS" column. Always check the STATUS column for information on the success or failure of your renewal.