Library Catalog

The Library Catalog is a search tool that allows you to search for physical items that the Libraries own.

What can I find in the Catalog?

Books, eBooks, print journals and newspapers, DVDs and VHS tapes, government documents, microfilm, some archival collections, and more. While the Catalog primarily searches for physical items that the Libraries own, some electronic resources--like eBooks--are also included.

This tutorial will focus on finding print books in the Catalog. Finding other items follows a similar process, but the items themselves are located in different places in the UM Libraries or online.

If you are on a distance campus, use Interlibrary Loan to request items (tutorial) that you find in the library catalog, and they will be delivered to your campus.

Step 1. Locating the catalog

Go to libraries.olemiss.edu. We want to start by clicking on the Catalog tab of the search box on the home page. Make sure the Catalog tab has been clicked and the search box says "Search for physical items...".

Step 2. Enter search terms

The next step is to enter your search terms. In this case, we are searching for information about paying college athletes, so enter "paying college athletes." You can search for a general topic like we are doing here, or you can search for the title of a specific item. The catalog is picky about spelling, so make sure all of your search terms are spelled correctly and there are no typos.

Step 3. View your results.

In this case, we found 1 book and one eBook that are marked as "very relevant titles."

Step 4. Modify your search

If you would like to refine your results, click on "Modify Search" above the search box at the top of the results.

You can limit your results to items in a specific location, such as the Main (J.D. Williams) Library, the Science Library, or the Juvenile Collection; by material type, such as book, eBook, or DVD; by language; and by publication date.

Step 5. Select an item to look at from your results.

In this case we are selecting the book titled Should College Athletes Be Paid?

Step 6. Item Record

Once you have selected an item, take a moment to look at the information provided in this page, called the item record. Many items will provide a table of contents, summary, or other information about the item.

 

If you decide you want to check out the item, there are 3 things you need to check:

1. The location - which building is the item located in? This item is located in the Main Library, which is the J.D. Williams Library.

 

2. The status - is the item available for you? If the status says "available," you can check it out; if it says "library use only," you can use it, but the item cannot leave the library. If it says anything else, the item is not available for you to use or check out.

 

 

3. The call number - the call number tells you exactly where the book is located in the library. More information about how to read a call number can be found at this link.

 

Step 7. Finding the book

Once you have the call number, you can figure out where exactly in the library your item is located. Under "Additional Resources" to the right of the page, you can see that this item is located on the 3rd floor. Click on "3rd Floor" to view a map.

 

 

The floor map is marked with the letters that correspond with the letters at the beginning of the call numbers of the books shelved in each area. In this case, this book's call number starts with "GV", so we are looking for "GV" on the map, which falls alphabetically between "E" and "HB." 

Step 8. Retrieving your book.

Now that you know where your book is--on the 3rd floor near the skylights--you can go find your book on the shelf. After finding your book, you can take it to one of the circulation desks at either entrance to check it out.

You are welcome to share any of this information with others. If you are a librarian or educator, you are welcome to use this guide and its contents for your own purposes.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.