Search Techniques

SECTION 3:  FINDING BOOKS 

A.  How To Identify Books in the ODU Libraries

• The ODU Libraries Catalog is available from the ODU Libraries Home Page or at  http://iii.lib.odu.edu   It lists all the materials owned by the Libraries, including books, journals, videos, and government publications.

• There are various search options. To search by author, title, or call number, you should know the exact spelling and wording.  Most of the search options are self-explanatory. One thing you should notice is the option to limit your search to various FORMATS -- "EBooks," "Films & Videos," and "Theses & Dissertations" are just a few of the formats you may find useful. For more help, see the guide "How to Use the Online Catalog."

• The catalog also has subject and keyword searching to find books on a particular topic. You may want to review the differences between subject and keyword searching by going back to the Search Techniques area of this tutorial. You can also try the guided search for subjects vs. keywords in the library catalog.

Next:  B.  How to obtain books at ODU Library and elsewhere