Information Literacy: 5. Books & eBooks

The OPAC will identify all physical books held within the library.
Each book has been assigned a Library of Congress call number, which pinpoints the location of where the book is shelved. Books on similar topics will be shelved nearby, and will have similar call numbers.


The OPAC will also identify the library's online books.
A keyword search in the OPAC will bring a mixture of print and online titles. The Sawyer Library subscribes to several online book collections (eBooks), which may be searched individually. Unlike the OPAC, these E-Book collections will allow for a search within the entire text of these online books.  Examples of online book collections include the Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL).

You may search for books directly from the Sawyer Library home page, using the widget.

Results, as well as any subsequent searches will be from the Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) interface.

In the example below, the user wishes to find books on women (as authors, protagonists, or readers) and comics (comic books, graphic novels, etc.)

Note the use of the AND, which combines the two terms. The AND is an example of a Boolean search connector. There will be further discussion about Boolean searches later on.

The first two results of the search are shown below, followed by the details of the chosen book, "Graphic Women."

1. Publication information - all you need to cite this book - at the top of the page.

2. The "address" of this book inside the library.

   - Location: which floor, service desk, or library at which to find the book.

   - Call Number: exact alphanumeric, subject-related location of the book on a specific floor.

   - Status: availability of this book.

3. Table of Contents from the book is keyword-searchable in the online catalog.

4. Subject Headings describe content and related subjects of this book. Click a subject heading for more book results in a similar subject, like "Women Cartoonists."