Comparing Search Pathways

The library catalogue is the most efficient tool for finding books and eBooks held by the library. Library catalogue search results also include whole journals, whole databases, music scores, sound recordings, DVDs, online media, the education curriculum collection, theses, and some items in the University's special collections.

You should use the Library Catalogue when you want to: 

• Look for a specific resource by its title, author, location on the shelf (call number), or ISBN/ISSN

• Check whether a physical item is available and find out where it is on the library shelf

• Browse available resources in a particular location or format
  For example, you might limit your search to include only items at Baillieu Library, only items available online, or only items in a DVD format

• Browse available resources related to your topic with a keyword or subject search

• Link to electronic resources such as online books/e-books, journals, databases, and online multimedia content 

You can log in to your library borrowing record to request an item in the catalogue, view or cancel your requests, renew your loans, and access your borrowing history.

The library catalogue only includes resources that are owned or subscribed to by the University Library. You won’t find individual journal articles or book chapters in the catalogue, but you will find whole books and journals. 

When searching in the library catalogue, remember that:

• The library catalogue does not include detailed filters
  While you can sort your catalogue search results by collection or item type, you won’t be able to filter them by peer-review, language, subject, or location. Subject headings, found in most item catalogue records, can work as links between items in our collections. Advanced Search is a useful tool for narrowing your catalogue search results.
• The catalogue does not search the full text of materials
  When you search in the library catalogue, your search terms are matched only to words that appear in the title, author, subject, and descriptions of each resource. The library catalogue does not match your search terms to words that appear in the content of a resource.
• Finding great resources in the catalogue takes practice 
  You won’t find much in the catalogue if you search with sentences or natural language, as the library catalogue doesn't use an algorithm to predict what you are interested in. To search effectively in the catalogue, you’ll need to brainstorm general search terms and synonyms to describe your topic. You might like to test your search terms first in Discovery to get an idea of the language used to describe the concepts you’re looking for.