New Library Catalog: Quick Tips
Check out the new Five College library catalog. The new catalog offers more powerful, flexible searching of over 6 million books, databases, journals, CDs, DVDs, manuscripts, and more at Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, Smith, and UMass/Amherst. Search all five libraries at once – or each library individually. For the first time, easily select just Amherst College’s holdings.
Search
The library catalog defaults to a search of all Five College libraries together. If you want to look at just one library, choose the institution from the toolbar on top. Your selection is highlighted in green.
You may choose BASIC SEARCH (with one simple search box) or ADVANCED SEARCH (for a combination words, dates, languages, and kinds of materials)
Basic Search
What do you know about a book you want? Author’s last name -- or author’s complete name? The title? Just some important words in the title? What the book is about?
Make a choice from the Search for menu at left.
Keywords anywhere search all information about a book (author’s name, all word in the title, publisher, subjects, etc.) Keywords can also be limited to the words in an author’s name, title, or subject.
You may enclose exact phrases in quotation marks (“”) for more precise retrieval.
Begins With shows you a display of names, formal Library of Congress subjects, or call numbers. Choose this search when you are quite sure of the information you enter.
When you have input your search, hit enter
Pay attention to the examples of searches as you make your choices. Examples change as you change your selections. They are your best guide to the BASIC SEARCH.
Advanced Search
Use ADVANCED SEARCH to combine or eliminate keywords and to add languages, dates, kinds of materials (books, DVDs, electronic resources, etc.), or special locations on one campus into your search.
Don’t forget to click GO (or just hit enter)
Results
List View
The “Search Results” list all the items, regardless of format, that match your query. There are clear labels to tell if they are books, DVDs, CDs, databases, or other kinds of materials.
CALL NUMBER & AVAILABILITY
Find the call number (location) and loan status of a book by clicking on the Library on the far right column of the Results display. You may get the same information from FULL VIEW.
SORT
Choose elements from the gray bar to change the order of display of results.
EMAIL/SAVE
Select some or all of the references displayed and email them or save them to a local computer.
ADD TO MY FOLDER
Select references to save in MY FOLDER on an upper toolbar. MY FOLDER saves your choices while you are using the catalog and erases them at the end of your research unless you have signed into MY ACCOUNT
Full View
Click on the title of the book to see the complete information about a book: author, title, place of publication, publisher, date, special notes about the book, etc. Use CLICK HERE FOR CALL NUMBER AND AVAILABILITY to find where the book is shelved and whether it is checked out.
Request From Five College Libraries
You may place an order for a direct loan from another Five College library only from the FULL VIEW display. Click on the green REQUEST ITEM box just under FULL VIEW. The system asks you to sign on with your library bar code to complete your request. You will be notified when your loan has arrived at the Frost Circulation Desk.