WRT110 Library Guide: Finding Books

Use WorldCat (the Library Catalog) - to locate books, both printed and ebooks.  WorldCat will also link you to videos, articles, and many other types of information. 

WorldCat can be searched from the Library Home Page. Use the tabs across the top to narrow your results if you know what type of format you need. Do you need a current magazine or journal article? Do you need to find a book or a video? Or you can just search everything.

      Basic Searching                 

To find a book when you know the title:

• Use quotation marks for the exact title:  "romeo and juliet"  "rock the boat"  "lord of the flies"  "harry potter and the goblet of fire"
• If you don't know the exact title, you can enter the words you know and maybe the author:  caged bird maya angelou
• You can also use the prefix ti:animal farm

To find books by an author:

• Enter the name of the author  william shakespeare   john steinbeck

To find books on a subject or topic:

• Enter relevant terms or phrases:  "iraq war" politics,  immigration united states mexican,  rap music,  soccer skills
• Use the categories on the left column to narrow your search (date, format, author)
• Use the subject headings on the right side of the results to find all items with an exact subject heading.

To locate a book on the shelf:

• Use the call number and look for the availability.

To read ebooks:

• Click View Now

Our Ebook Research Guide can help you with viewing and downloading ebooks.

When you find records in the catalog, click on the title and see all of the bibliographic information on the book - subject headings, author, title, number of pages, book jacket (for newer books), publishing information, table of contents, and direct links to the online text, audio, or video.

Our catalog also includes a cite/export ink in the top left corner of each record. By clicking on the link, you will have the citation created for you to use in bibliographies or works cited pages.

Our library catalog, WorldCat Local is full of new features that will greatly improve your ability to search for all formats and types of materials, then access them all immediately. It includes all of the physical items we own and access to online resources.

• Find books, articles, ebooks, and more in a single search!
• Request interlibrary loans directly from the catalog
• See items in other nearby libraries
• Refine searches with an easy-to-use limiter panel

The default search option is set to "St. Andrews University," which will return all the print books, ebooks, Videos, and online articles you can access. If you don't find what you need, you can also search "Libraries Worldwide" from the dropdown menu to include materials and resources from other Libraries.