Using the Pace Library Catalog
The Pace University Library Catalog contains records for the materials held by the Pace University Library at its four locations (Birnbaum Library, Law Library, Mortola Library, and Graduate Center Library) . It includes records for books, journal titles, government documents, videotapes, and other materials. The catalog also contains records for items that professors have placed on reserve, and for materials that are available electronically (e-books and e-journals).
Contents:
Accessing the Online Catalog
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Basics of Searching
To find something in the online catalog, you must first decide which type of search to perform. The search types you will use most frequently are described below:
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AUTHOR SEARCH
If you know the author's name:
Click on Author.
Type the author’s name - last name (surname) first.
Example: Shakespeare William
Click the Search button.
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TITLE SEARCH
If you know the title:
Click on Title.
Type the title or first word(s) in the title.
Example: Romeo and Juliet
Click the Search button.
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KEYWORD SEARCH
If you know a topic:
Click on Keywords.
Click on Simple Search.
Type a word(s) to describe the topic.
Example: fishing
Click the Search button.
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Note: If you want to perform a Subjects search, you need to know the Library of Congress Subject Heading assigned to your topic. To determine the exact Subject Heading:
- Perform a Keyword search, as in the example above.
- Find one item that covers your topic.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the record to view assigned Subject(s).
- Click on a Subject heading(s) to search for other items with the same heading, or click the Start Over button to perform a Subject Heading search.
Search Tips
- When doing an Author search, type the Author's name in last name (or family name) first; for example, "Smith, John."
- When doing a Title search, type as much or as little of the Title as you want, for example, "the taming" to find The Taming of The Shrew.
- When doing a Subject search, you must enter the Subject Heading exactly as the Library of Congress says. Refer to the four volume set of Library of Congress Subject Headings in the Reference area to find an appropriate Subject Heading.
- When doing a Keyword search, if your topic encompasses more than one concept, connect them using the word "and" - for example, "multiculturalism and work." This will find records in the Catalog which contain BOTH of those terms.
- Also applicable in a Keyword search, you can use an asterisk (*) as a truncation symbol. For example, typing in "Europe*" will find all words which begin with the root "Europe," including Europe itself, European and Europeans.
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Viewing Results
After you have performed your search, you should see a list of titles, authors or subjects. Twelve (12) items are placed on a page. Use the Next link - or click on a page number - to move forward through your list of results; click on Prev - or a page number - to go backward.
To see more about one of the items on your list, click on the underlined title, author or subject. If you have performed a title search, clicking on a title from your list will bring up the full record representing that title. If you have performed an author search, selecting an author's name from your list should bring up a list of titles by that author. Similarly, if you have performed a subject search, clicking on a subject from your list should bring up a list of titles dealing with that subject. From here you should be able to pull up information on individual titles.
Navigation Tips:
When viewing records in the library catalog, you will see a navigation bar at the top of your screen. Use the buttons on this bar to navigate the catalog. Do not use the commands on your web browser (for example, the Back button in Netscape) to go from screen to screen in the catalog.
- Return to Browse returns you to your list of titles.
- Another Search lets you conduct another search of the same search type.
- Start Over returns you to the main search screen. From here, you can select another search of a different type.
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Limiting/Modifying Results
If you find that you have retrieved too many results, the catalog gives you several options for limiting your search results. You can specify a particular library location or publication date, or add additional words to your search. To limit your search:
If you are searching by Author, Title, or Subject, click on the Limit This Search button. You should then see a screen similar to this:
- To limit by location, select the location from the Where Item is Located pull down menu. You can only select one location at a time, so you may need to perform this search more than once.
- To limit by date, click in either of the Year of Publication boxes and type in the year before and/or the year after publication.
- You can also use the pull-down menus to choose a Language or Material Type, or to add additional Words to your search statement.
- Click on the Submit link to perform the new search.
If you are searching by Keyword, click on the Modify Search button and you will return to the Keyword Advanced Search screen, where you can apply limits to your search.
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Finding Books in the Library
To find out if your book is available and accessible, look at the Location and Status of the item, which should appear at the bottom of your screen:
| LOCATION |
CALL NO. |
STATUS |
| Birnbaum Ref Reserve |
PS3511.I9 G7 1953b |
AVAILABLE |
| Birnbaum Ref |
PS3511.I9 G7 1953b c.2 |
AVAILABLE |
| Birnbaum Stacks-NYC |
PS3511.I9 G7 1953b c.3 |
DUE 05-16-06 |
| Mortola Ref |
PS3511.I9 G7 1953b c.4 |
AVAILABLE |
| Mortola Stacks-PLV |
PS3511.I9 G7 1953b c.5 |
AVAILABLE |
The LOCATION field tells you which Pace Library location owns the item in question. In this example, the Birnbaum Library owns three copies of a book, and the Mortola Library owns two. Copy 2 and Copy 4 are reference books ("Ref" appears in the location designation) and cannot be borrowed. Copy 1 is a reserve book, and is available for use in the library. Request reserve books at the circulation desk. Loan periods for reserve materials are generally two hours, but they can vary, so double check when you borrow the book. For information on looking reserve books up by course number or instructor, see the information below on finding course reserve materials.
The CALL NO. field tells you which Library of Congress Call Number has been assigned to the item you have looked up. The library shelves books according to their Library of Congress Call Number, which consists of a combination of letters and numbers to indicate a subject and sometimes an author and/or year. Note that call numbers appear in the catalogs as links. If you click on these links, you will get a list of surrounding call numbers. The order of the books on the shelves begins alphabetically according to the first part of the call number. If you have difficulty locating an item on the shelves, please ask a librarian for help or visit Matt Rosenberg's page explaining the Library of Congress Classification System.
The STATUS field tells you whether the item you have looked up is currently available. If it says AVAILABLE, the book should be on the shelf. A note like the one above ("DUE 05-16-06") indicates that the item is checked out.
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Finding Course Reserve Materials
Books placed on Reserve are located at the Circulation desks of both the Mortola and Birnbaum Libraries. Some reserve materials are also available online. To access these, click on the Reserves link on the library home page.
From the Pace Library Home Page (http://www.pace.edu/library):
- Click on the Reserves link.
- Select Paper Reserves or Electronic Reserves.
- If you want to search by the name of your course, simply type the course code or name (e.g. "eng 101" or "strategic planning") into the search box, then hit the Enter key, or click on Search.
- If you want to search by the name of your instructor, type your instructor's last name into the search box, then hit the Enter key or click on Search.
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Requesting Materials from Other Pace Library Locations
If the item you want to borrow is available at another Pace University Library location, you can use the online catalog to have it sent to your home campus for pickup. You can also use the procedure described below to place a hold on an item that is currently checked out. (See a demo! using RealPlayer)
- Click on Request at the top of the screen as shown.
(click for a larger image)
- Enter your name and your entire library barcode (without spaces) in the appropriate boxes.
- Sel
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