SPCH U430 - Communicating Difference in Social Institutions: Catalog & Books

Find Books option provides one-stop searching for books and e-books, journal articles, DVDs, and more.  The search box in the widget above allows you to directly search for materials found in what was previously called the Library Catalog.

The video below provides a brief introduction on how to use the new Search to find books and e-books in the USC Upstate library collection.  

• Try different keywords to get different search results.
• Use Boolean AND, OR, NOT connectors to connect terms.
• * is a truncation symbol (up to five characters) in the library catalog. Cat* would bring up "cat" and "cats," while vot* would show results for "vote," "voter," "voting," etc. This works in other parts of words: Col*r would display results for "color" and "colour."
• The ? is a one-character wildcard: Wom?n will display results for "woman" and "women."
• Typing ref AND (your search terms) limits searches to our reference collection. Reference works are an excellent source of background information.
• Use advanced keyword search to help limit your searches.
• Check the subject heading links in the full records of items. Click the links to see other similar items.
• In a subject search, the result is a list of subject headings. This can help you narrow your topic and/or searches.

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• E-books are accessed through a link in the record of the book. Look for the "connect to" link. Many e-books may be browsed or searched through various e-book links on our Databases LibGuide (be sure to narrow your database type to "E-Books."
• When accessing the library catalog from off campus, make sure you log in using the icon in the top right corner. This will enable all links (including e-book links).

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• Expand your search by looking at results from PASCAL (click the button in the library catalog). This opens up results from academic libraries across the state; you can request these titles in many cases, and have them delivered here in a matter of days. See the Beyond USC Upstate box below for more details.

If a nearby academic library has a book we don't have available, you can use PASCAL's Visiting Patron service to check it out in person from the other institution. To do this, we recommend:

• You first verify the book is available at a participating PASCAL library and able to be loaned through PASCAL. If you aren't sure, check with a reference librarian or the circulation desk. These are the same titles that are available through PASCAL Delivers.
• Make sure your Upstate library account is in good standing and that your ID is working properly (you can also check this at circulation).
• Visit the library and borrow the book using your USC Upstate ID.