Keeping It Brief!

News and information from the Dickinson Law Library

You are here: Home / Services / Access Services Tips / Using the Catalog

Using the Catalog

by

Need to know how to find that specific book you’re looking for? Need to know what book to look for? While library staff are always happy to assist you with understanding and accessing our collection, their hours are limited. Learning to properly use the Penn State University Libraries catalog can be a great assistance in preparing for your classes and doing personal research.

Here are some helpful tips for navigating the catalog and its features!

A search bar with a dropdown menu for the search index field.

If you know the title and/or author of the book you are looking for, you can change the search index on the left to the “Title” or “Author” field and search for it.

Catalog search result for "The legal analyst: a toolkit for thinking about the law" by Ward Farnsworth. There is a blue button that says "View Availability". Underneath the button is a box with information about what Penn State libraries the book is available at. In the top right corner of the box is another blue button that says "I Want It".

Once you see the book on the results page, you can select “View Availability” and the catalog will show which Penn State locations it is available at. If there is a copy at Dickinson Law, you can come and find it on our shelves to check out! If copies are unavailable or available at another location, select “I Want It” and a hold will be created for your account. The item will be delivered to our library, and you will be sent a notification that the item is being held for you at the circulation desk.

Remember to bring your Penn State ID for any check outs!

Refine search results options of 10 drop-down menus - Access, Format, Campus, University Park Libraries, Language, Subject, Genre, Media Type, Call Number, Publication Year. The Access menu is open and showing the categories - Online, In the Library, Free to Read and On Order along with the number of results in each category. All the other menus are closed.

 

If you are not looking for a specific item, but rather books on a specific topic, you can utilize the “Keyword” search index and then refine your search results by using the “Advanced search” option and the dropdown menus on the left side of the screen. For tips on most effectively utilizing the catalog search features, check out this page.

 

 

 

 

 

If you find a book that strikes your interest and want more books in that specific area, click on the catalog record and then select “Browse Nearby on Shelf.”Catalog record for "Law & international law: a bibliography of bibliographies" by Theodore Besterman. Under the Availability section, there is a white button, outlined in blue with blue text, that says "Browse Nearby on Shelf".

This will pull up a list of items that are categorized similarly to the original book and what locations they are available at. For more information on an item, the blue call number links to each book’s record.

List of books with call numbers immediately preceding and following the call number of "Law & international law: a bibliography of bibliographies." The call numbers are blue links.

Get comfortable using the catalog and take your research to a new level!

For assistance or information on the using the catalog, please email  DickinsonLawLib@psu.edu or ask for help at the circulation desk.