Locating Books in Your EPISD Library. ONLINE CATALOG

OBJECTIVE: Following correct procedures for using library computers, you will: 1.Locate a book record on the Online Catalog. 2.Locate books in different collections.

ONLINE CATALOG…What’s that? An INDEX or a guide to all the books in your library and in all of the EPISD libraries!

Why learn to use the Online Catalog? So you can find your way around the library to…  Complete class assignments.  Locate books for personal reading or DEAR.  Learn about topics like history, science, cooking, skateboarding, movies, music…  Find out how to do something new like kayaking, painting, drawing, wrestling…  Do research for projects.  Use other library catalogs like those at UTEP, Community College, and the El Paso Public Library.

For example, suppose your biology teacher assigned a brief report on an extinct animal. The example you think of first is a dinosaur… The report is due tomorrow… (It was assigned last week!) You need a book to take home tonight. You don’t panic… You head for the Online Catalog.

How do I get to Online Catalog? Outside the library, You can access the catalog on any Internet connected computer through the library website home page. OR on a computer in the library by clicking on the EPISD Web Catalog icon.

Horizon opens to the basic search box. Where you type in your topic.

Fiction books Nonfiction books Story collection books Paperback books Reference books Magazines Videos BASIC searches may return lists of different types of library items such as… You may not need all of these types, like fiction; or you may not be able to check out all types, like video.

Results of a BASIC search: Collection and call number information help you locate books. However, this results list has two items that probably won’t help you with your report.

More search results The BASIC search may return hundreds of items of many different types! At the bottom of the results screens, click on a page number or the word next to view more items. You may get better results by trying a different type of search.

To begin a new search scroll back to the top of the list and click on Find a book!

Click in the blue bar to choose a keyword or an alphabetical search.

KEYWORD searching A GENERAL KEYWORD search –returns the same results as a BASIC search. –reads the entire item record looking for your search term. A SUBJECT KEYWORD search –returns more specific items than the BASIC search. –reads only the subject headings in the record.

SUBJECT KEYWORD searches: Because subject keyword searches look for exact matches with subject headings, you may need to try different search terms to get good results.

ALPHABETICAL searching Alphabetical searches return lists of authors, titles, or subjects closest to the spelling you typed that you can browse (read) through. Return to Find a book! and click on Alphabetical search.

ALPHABETICAL SUBJECT BROWSE results: Click on a category in this INDEX to see a list of items in each group.

Some results from the Dinosaurs category: Hey! This might be what I need for my dinosaur report! Click on the title to view the item record for each book.

Summaries and descriptions on item records can help you decide if a book is what you need. Additional facts for a source card, a works cited page or a bibliography: Title Author Place of publication Publisher Date of publication

Now that you have located a book that will help you, the item record can tell you where to find in on the shelves. Collection tells you in what section of the library to look. Call numbers tell you the specific address of each book on the shelves. Status tells you whether the book is checked in or out, or lost, or missing. (Only look for books that are checked in!)

When you use the Online Catalog remember to make some helpful notes so you can find the books: Walking w/Dinosaurs Nonfiction HAI

If you made helpful notes while you were using the Online Catalog, you will easily be able to find your way among all the books in the library. NOW… FIND THAT BOOK!

Collection typeCall Number top line –FictionF –Non-fiction –PaperbackPB –BiographyB –Biography collection (two BC or more subjects) –Story collectionSC –ReferenceR **Books in Spanish use the same call number but have yellow label covers. Collections are the different sections of books. Call numbers also tell about collections.

Most libraries have signs to help you find things. READ THEM! Signs like these on the ends of shelves can help you find the correct collection and the correct call number of the book you need.

Once you find the right shelves, don’t get confused by the large numbers of books! Focus on individual call numbers. F CAL HAI R 398 OVE Fiction Non-fiction Reference

Call Numbers Once you find the right section, match the call number you are looking for to those on the spines of the library books Walking w/Dinosaurs Non-fiction HAI

Here it is! Mission accomplished! (Or it will be after you read the book and do your research!)