Research Strategies: Interactive Tutorial

Module 2: Library Catalogs

Library catalogs identify the materials housed in a particular library, identify their locations, and indicate if the materials are checked in or out. These materials include books, journals, microforms and non-print media such as videos and audiotapes. Two major resources are: 1) Montana Public Access Catalog and 2) WorldCat.

Montana Public Access Catalog

The Montana Public Access Catalog includes the holdings of all the libraries that are part of The University of Montana system plus St. Patrick's Hospital Library (Missoula) and the Salish-Kootenai College. Library materials can be located by title, author, subject and/or any combination of keywords.

Once a title is located in the catalog, its call number identifies its location in the library.

Locating Books

For example, Blonde, a work of fiction by Joyce Carol Oates, has the following call number information:

[ 1 ]	Blonde /	Oates, Joyce Carol, 1938-	1999	Blonde / Joyce Carol Oates.
	Library Location: UM-Missoula: Book Shelves - Level 2	Call Number: 813.54 O11bLo		Status: Available

The first line states the title, author, and publishing date. The second line identifies the library and floor where the material is held, followed by the Dewey Decimal Call number that will pinpoint the material's exact location. The second line also states whether the material is checked out, on reserve or available.

• 813.54 refers to all books of fiction written by twentieth century American authors.
• O11bLo is a cutter number that identifies the individual author and the individual title.

Thus, there are thousands of books with the 813.54 designation in the Mansfield Library; but there is only one book with O11bLo as part of the call number.

Locating Journals (Periodicals and Magazines)

The Mansfield Library subscribes to journals both in hard copy and electronically.

For example, after choosing UM-M Journals tab and typing in the word "Time" in the title search, one would see this display:

Time (Chicago, Ill.) (0040-781X)

in The University of Montana's Print Holdings
from 01/01/1983 to present in Business & Company ProFile ASAP, Expanded Academic ASAP and History Resource Center U.S.
from 2 years ago to present in LexisNexis Academic

Each line provides a link to an electronic version of the article, to a database that carries full text articles from that journal or to the Mansfield Library's print holdings.

Choosing the "Print Holdings" link will open a separate browser window that will provide the location of the periodical. The entry will list the floor location and call number for the journal, as well as information on any of the current issues or bound issues that might be checked out or in repair that would be unavailable to check out at that time. The entry also includes holdings information, if relevant, of any issues that might be on microform.

Locating Media

All media items, including non-print materials such as videos, audiotapes, posters, or slides, also have call numbers. For example, an interactive multi-media CD-ROM on Walt Whitman including his complete works, sound recordings, and criticism has the following call number information:

Main Author:  Walt Whitman                     Title:  Walt Whitman [computer file].         Description:   1 computer optical disc;             Publisher:  Woodbridge, CT : Primary Source Media, 1997.              Location:  UM-Missoula: Information Center - Level 3       Call Number:   CDR 006                  Status:   Available Number of Items:  2

The entry indicates the resource is an optical disc and that it is located on the third floor at the Information Center. It can be accessed by requesting the call number, CDR 006, from the Check Out desk. Follow the same procedure for videos, DVDs, CDs and audio tapes.

All titles in the library catalog provide location information and their status as available or out and when checked out materials are due back in the library.

WorldCat

WorldCat is a consortium of library catalogs worldwide. WorldCat is an excellent database for browsing the broad universe of published materials. Combined with the Interlibrary Loan service offered free to University of Montana students, faculty, and staff, books and media can be borrowed from libraries around the world. WorldCat supports advanced research projects that require in-depth review of books and media, as well as thorough citation information for requesting items through Interlibrary Loan.

To access WorldCat, link to the Mansfield Library home page at http://www.lib.umt.edu and click on the Find Articles link. WorldCat can be found in the category General and Multidisciplinary. WorldCat can also be accessed under "W" on the alphabetical title list at the top of the page.