| Tarleton State University Libraries | Unit 5 |
| WRAP-UP: Finding Books, Media, etc. | |
As
the information in this unit reveals, the online catalog contains
records for all items owned by Tarleton libraries:
Catalog records contain in-depth information about each item and help patrons locate what they are looking for in the library, as well as online in many cases. In addition to offering records for library items, the catalog allows online access to request forms (interlibrary loan and purchase suggestions) and library information (hours of operation and staff directory). Also, personal accounts are accessible in the catalog, which let patrons review their accounts and renew checked out materials. After reading the information in Unit 5, you should understand how materials in the library are organized, how to read call numbers, and how to use the catalog's search options (i.e. author, title, subject, etc.). This information combined with the search strategies discussed in Unit 4 (e.g. boolean operators, phrase searches, truncation, and so on) should enable you to effectively and efficiently use the catalog to locate materials for your research projects--whether academic, professional, or personal. As noted in this unit, the catalog does not contain information about periodical articles, which are important information sources. Other library tools must be used to locate periodical articles. Information about these tools (their characteristics and use) and instructions for locating articles using citations are offered in the next unit.
Updated 8/2004 |
