The catalogue is one of several tools you can use to search for items in the University Library's collection. It searches most of our collection including books, eBooks, theses, music recordings, scores, and journal titles (but not individual journal articles).
In this article:
Access the catalogue
Start at the library homepage or the Search the Library channel in PAWS. In the USearch search box, select the "Books" tab, and then click on the the Library Catalogue link.
Search the catalogue
You can search for items in the catalogue by word, title, or author. You can also use the advanced search function to combine different search strategies. Our catalogue help page includes some tips on basic and advanced catalogue searching. You may also want to see our guide on how to formulate an effective search strategy.
Search by word
If you know the topic you want to search, but aren't sure of any titles or authors, you can do a WORD search. Word search is the default option on the catalogue search page.
- Type in your keyword(s).
- Combine each concept with Boolean Operators (AND/OR/NOT). Use quotation marks to group words together (e.g. "access to justice" AND Saskatchewan)
- Click the green magnifying glass.
- You can browse through the list of results to see if any items are useful. If nothing comes up, try changing your keywords. Use synonyms or related concepts.
Search by title
If you know the exact title of the book you are looking for, you can do a TITLE search.
- From the catalogue search page, choose "Title" in the drop-down menu.
- Type in the title, ignoring any articles such as "the", "a", or "an" (e.g. grapes of wrath instead of the grapes of wrath).
- Click the green magnifying glass.
- If the library has many items with the same title, you will be taken to a results list where you can choose the one you want by clicking on the title.
- If there is only one item with that title, you will be taken directly into the detailed record for that item.
Search by author
If you know the author, but aren’t sure about the title, you can do an AUTHOR search.
- From the catalogue search page, choose "Author" from the drop-down menu
- Type in the author’s LAST name first, followed by the first name or initial (e.g., laurence, margaret or laurence, m).
- Click the green magnifying glass.
- If the library has items by different authors with the same name, you will be taken to a result list, and you can choose the one you want by clicking on the correct name. You may need to try a few until you find the right one.
Advanced catalogue searching
If you find that your basic searches aren’t focused enough, try doing an ADVANCED search. An Advanced search allows you to combine different search strategies on one search screen.
- In the catalogue, click ADVANCED Search.
- You can search any combination of author, title, subject, note or any field. "Any field" is similar to a keyword search.
- Remember to choose your Boolean Operators (AND/OR/NOT) from the drop-down menu, and use quotation marks to group words together (e.g. "access to justice")
- You can also choose a specific material type, or to include materials from a specific location, language or publication date. For example, if you want to limit to only e-books, choose "e-book" as an option in Material Type.
- Click "GO" and the advanced search will return a list of items containing all of your search terms.
If the library doesn't own the book you're searching for, you can request it through interlibrary loan (ILL).
After you've found an item in the catalogue, be sure write down the call number and location. This is what you will use to find the item on the shelf. Alternatively, you can request the item for pickup.