One of the best methods of performing subject searches in the online catalog is to do a Browse Subject search. This allows you to access the index of Library of Congress Subject Headings. Even if you do not know the subject heading of your topic of interest, performing such a search will allow you to browse the index and find entries that deal with your desired subject. To begin, select Browse Subject from the Find menu.
Next, type in the subject for which you are seeking information. For example, if you want to find journals dealing with the subject of railroad engineering, you might want to perform the following search.
The system will take you to the section of the index that contains subject headings resembling the one that you entered. Using the ctrl-N command to move forward in the index and the ctrl-P command to move backwards, locate the subject heading that best describes the concept you want to research. To select a heading, type the line number of that heading and press ENTER. The number in brackets is the number of records containing that particular subject heading.
Once you have entered your search the system will bring up the list of titles using the subject heading selected. To view a record, select the line number of that record and press ENTER. If there is only one record, the system will immediately display that record. To return to the list of titles, select the Backup option from the top of the screen and press ENTER.
Once you have retrieved the record, you will probably want to find which libraries hold the item in question. Scroll past the holdings information for UIUC Acquisitions and UIUC Additional Information using the ctrl-N command.
To find detailed information about the holdings in a particular library (such as the number of copies of the book, the years held of a journal, and the availability of each,) select the line number of the desired library and press ENTER. If the item is marked Available, it can be checked out; a Noncirculating item must be used in the library, and a Charged item has already been checked out by another person.
If you do not want to browse the list of Library of Congress Subject Headings but would prefer to pull records of items that have words of your choosing in the Subject Headings, use the Keyword Subject option. You can select this option from the Find menu on your search screen.
Now, type in the words that you want to locate in the subject headings. The system will retrieve only those records that contain ALL of your specified terms. Do not use articles, conjunctions, or common words. If you should use a word that appears in too many records, the system will advise you to ignore that word.
The system will present you with a list of titles whose records contain your terms in the Subject Headings. Select the title in which you are interested, and type the line number of that title to get the full record.
Once you have the full record for the title, you can locate the libraries that hold it. Press ctrl-N to scroll past the UIUC Acquisitions and UIUC Additional Information holdings. In order to select a library, type the line number of that library, and press ENTER.
The holdings screen for a particular library gives information about the years available, the number of copies, and the status of each item. Available items can be checked out, Noncirculating items must be used in the library, and Charged items have already been checked out by another person.
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Library Gateway Homepage Comments to: Engineering Library Updated on: 09.03.99 MCS |