CEAS Library Student Assistant Manual
LEVEL 2 Reference Training
Review the Guide to the College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS) Library
Review Locating Materials in the College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS) Library
CEAS Library Student Assistant Manual
LEVEL 2
UC Library Catalog/OhioLINK Catalog
The UC Library Catalog has a wide variety of search options which enable patrons to easily access the university's large collection of materials. What follows is a brief discussion of many of these options. For further details, consult the "Tips for using the catalog" on the Advanced Keyword Search page.
Author Search
Author searches must begin with the last name first, followed by the first name or initial. The author listing for each record also includes editors, compilers, composers, performers, translators, joint authors, names of governmental agencies, corporations, conferences, organizations and associations. The UC Library Catalog will show the master listing of authors if no matches are found.
Title Search
A title search is an Exact word search. If the exact title is not known, one should use the keyWORD option. The title entered is automatically truncated, so long titles need not be entered in their entirety. The UC Library Catalog will show the master listing of titles if no matches are found.
KeyWORD Search
When entering a keyWORD search in the UC Library Catalog, the system will first search the terms adjacent to one another. If nothing is found, the system will default to a Boolean "AND" operator. The KeyWORD option searches the corporate author, title, alternate title, series title, conference name, subject and content notes fields for all keywords specified.
Subject/Medical Subject Search
Subject searching for most searches in the UC Library Catalog is based on the Library of Congress Subject Headings while medical subject searches are based on Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). The UC Library Catalog provides information on related terms where appropriate. The UC Library Catalog will show the master subject listing if no matches are found. Remember that subject terms applied to books are often very broad. If use of a specific term fails to produce results, use a broader term.
Call Number & Numeric Indexes
This option will allow searches by Library of Congress call numbers, special local call numbers (such as theses, dissertations, microfilm and microfiche), as well as OCLC and ISBN/ISSN numbers if these are known.
OhioLINK Central Catalog
The OhioLINK Central Catalog allows a searching of the combined library catalogs of many Ohio universities and colleges. The search menus are different from the UC Library Catalog, but allow the same type of searches to be performed. The OhioLINK Central Catalog can be accessed directly from the main menu, or from within a UC Library Catalog search by clicking on OhioLINK. Available items (except journals) found at other OhioLINK libraries may be requested by using the "Request this Item" option.
OhioLINK Research Databases
OhioLINK engineering research databases include Academic Search Complete, Biological Abstracts, COMPENDEX*, Computer and Applied Science Complete (CASC), INSPEC, Medline, PapersFirst, ProceedingsFirst, Proquest Dissertations and Theses, Science Citation Index, and WorldCat. *Note that COMPENDEX is also available on the EIVillage interface and this is the preferred choice for the CEAS Library.
Reserves
This function allows access to the list of all items placed on reserve. This list may be accessed by professor name or course number. Entering the name of an CEAS professor will bring up a list of special reserve categories such as permanent reserves. For CEAS Reserve books enter CEAS under professor.
View Your Own Library Record
This function shows items checked out and requested. It allows you to renew books, cancel holds, change a PIN, and change an email address.
Other Search Features
The UC Library Catalog has several features which can enhance its searching capabilities.
Limit/Sort
Results from any search may be further refined by the limit or modify option. It is possible to limit the search by language, material type (periodicals, microform, etc), location (CEAS, GMP, etc), publication year, publisher name, or by specifying additional words in the title, author or subject. Any number of limiting specifications may be declared, but it is not possible to further limit the search results, once the "Search" option has been invoked. In order to limit the same search again, it is necessary to return to select "Modify Search". Only then will the limit option be made available again. A sort option is available for larger result sets.
Show Items
It is often desirable to examine additional items related to the keyWORD and subject search results. To facilitate this, searcher can click on its subject headings to find more items on the topic. It is also possible to show related items by clicking on the call number. This will result in a browsable list of the items that appear before and after the title on the shelf.
Check-in Records
Many serial (journal) records have check-in records associated with them. When an active journal record is retrieved, clicking on "Latest Received" will retrieve the current check-in boxes for the journal. The holdings and call number are also visible. It is important to note that many item records are hidden from view. In order to view these additional item records, it is necessary to click on the "View additional copies ..." bar.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents information is added for many new books in the UC Library Catalog and OhioLINK catalog. All of the words in the table of contents have been indexed. If a book is retrieved and it has table of contents information available, an option to display it will appear. The table of contents appears below the record.
Indexes and Abstracts
People doing very detailed research should use articles in journals (magazines, serials, periodicals) and conference papers to get information. They should use indexes or abstracts databases to find out what articles have been published that may be of use to them.
Indexes and abstracts let you look up a subject you are interested in, tell you what articles have been written on that subject recently, and which journals they are in. You can then go to the journals and know where to find the articles you need.
There are indexes and abstracts for nearly every field you can name, from aeronautics to zoology. Level 2 introduces you to two general ones -- Computer and Applied Science Complete (CASC) and COMPENDEX (Engineering Index).
KeyWORD searching is available in the indexes. This capability allows flexibility in retrieval by placing less emphasis on the need to know a specific subject term, as in subject searching, which requires use of terms from a subject thesaurus.
There are a few general things to point out about these two to help you use them better.
Computer and Applied Science Complete (CASC)
Computer & Applied Science Complete (CASC) covers the spectrum of the applied sciences, representing collected knowledge on traditional engineering challenges and providing material for research concerning the business and social implications of new technology. CASC provides indexing and abstracting for more than 2,000 academic journals, professional publications, and other reference sources from a diverse collection. Full Text is also available for more than 950 periodicals. Subject areas include the many engineering disciplines, computer theory & systems, new technologies, and social & professional context. Research is aided by the inclusion of searchable cited references for key journals.
COMPENDEX (EI Village version)
COMPENDEX (Engineering Index) 1884 to the present indexes 2600 domestic and foreign journals, conferences and technical articles. However, many journals won't be available at U.C. It includes good abstracts which are very useful to help decide if the article is really what you are looking for. COMPENDEX is also available through OhioLINK in, but in two databases. COMPENDEX from 1969 to the present and COMPENDEX HISTORICAL from 1884 to 1968. CEAS Library preferred access to COMPENDEX is through the publisher's platform (EI Village). It is recommended that we direct patrons to the EI Village version.
Return to the CEAS Library
Created on: 4/94
Send comments to: Jim Clasper, Assistant Engineering and Applied Science Librarian
Last modified: jwc 2/27/12