Western Libraries
Western Libraries Western Washington University Bellingham, WA
LIT 3
Using OneSearch
you will learn
- understand what OneSearch searches
- find materials on a topic using keyword search
- find books by title
- read a call number and use it to find items in the library
- keyword search
- narrow with filters
- get accurate with scopes
Libraries homepage tour
About onesearch
OneSearch is your new tool for searching for books, articles, and more. It replaces the old library catalog and includes many new features.
Use it to find:
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ONESEARCH INTRO TUTORIAL
You will learn to:
- keyword search
- narrow with filters
- get accurate with scopes
Book records
All the basic information you need to find and cite a book is included in the Library Catalog record.
Ways to search
Tutorials
Lesson 1: Simple Search
- keyword
Lesson 2: Advanced Search
- keyword
- title
- author
- subject
Search tips
Truncation
Truncation is like a wildcard. Added to the stem of a word, it will find that stem plus anything that comes after it. The symbol used to truncate a word depends upon the index, database, or Web search engine you are using.
psychol? -will return records on psychology, psychological, psychologist.
? is used as the truncation symbol, for example, in ABI/Inform and WestCat.
environ* - will return records on environment, environments, environmental.
* is used as the truncation symbol in OneSearch, Wilson Business Abstracts and Periodical Abstracts.
Boolean logic
George Boole was an English mathematician who helped establish the modern field of mathematics called symbolic logic. Boolean logic uses words called operators. The three main operators are: AND, OR and NOT.
Databases use Boolean logic to locate only those items that match your search.
The blue areas in the following diagrams represent the number of hits you would receive from doing a search using the Boolean operators AND or OR in the same database:
using OR retrieves a large number of items:
Subject search
The advantage of a subject search is that it provides a more focused search.
Its disadvantage is that it's hard to know what LCSH term will used be for a topic.
This is also a good strategy if there are no subject headings for your topic.
Alternative - Browse Subject
Subject Search
A good strategy is:
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First, use your own terms in a Keyword search.
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Then look at the records for books that are on your topic.
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Jot down any good subject terms that are listed and use them later in subject searches or
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From Advanced Search, from drop-down, select Subject and enter given subject
More on Subject search
You can also use a subject search to find books about a person or organization.
To search for books about a person you can enter his/her name (enter the last name first) in a Subject search:
robeson paul
twain mark
Similarly, you can find books about an organization by entering its name as a Subject search.
general motors corporationKEYWORD SEARCH
Often you will not have the title of a specific book but want to find books on a particular topic. In this case, you'll want to use a keyword search. We talked about keywords and brainstorming back in Module 2.
Think of a few key terms that describe your search topic.
You can enter keywords and the computer will look for a match for those terms in the records of all the items in the library.
USE keyword when
- doing a preliminary search and need ideas for additional search terms
- need to combine two or more concepts
- searching for a phrase
- want to see what is available in the library on your topic
Where to find in library
Location
Check here to find out on in which building and on which floor the book is located.
Call Number
Write down the call number. It acts as the "address" of an item in the library. To find out which floor to go to in the library you can:
- Use one of the library maps located on each floor near the stairwell that shows the call number range for each floor
- Click on the call number in the book record to see the library floor maps or
- Ask at a Reference Desk on Haggard 2.
Status
The status line will tell you whether a book is checked out, lost, or has recently been ordered.
checking out a book
Where
To check out a book, bring it to the Circulation Desk, located by the entrance in Haggard Hall. You can also check out at the Media/Circ desk on the second floor of Wilson Library. You will need a valid WWU identification card to check out books.
How Long
The borrowing period for undergraduates is 21 days.
Return or Renew
The Circulation Desk is also the place to renew or return books. You can also renew books online or by phone.
Place a hold on an item
If the book you want is checked out, you can ensure that you will be next in line to get it. You can submit a request when displaying the record for a checked-out book. Click on Request at the top of the screen, then follow the online instructions.
that's it for now
You have learned:
- understand what OneSearch searches
- find materials on a topic using keyword search
- find books by title
- read a call number and use it to find items in the library
- keyword search
- narrow with filters
- get accurate with scopes
LIT 3 OneSearch
By Western Libraries
LIT 3 OneSearch
- 896
