Video summary
The video provides a comprehensive guide on how to locate and access books through the Ohio University Libraries catalog, covering both physical print materials and digital resources. The process begins by navigating to the library's homepage and selecting the "Ohio Library Catalog" from the search menu to ensure results are limited to items owned by the university. Users can search for specific topics, such as teaching methods, and then refine their results using various filters. Important filtering options include limiting results to items held in print at campus libraries, which excludes ebooks, or including online resources. Additionally, users can filter by creation date to find recent publications or select a specific library location, such as the Fine Arts Library, if they need materials available immediately on a particular shelf.
Once a desired book is identified, the guide explains how to retrieve it using its unique call number, which acts as an address for locating the item on the shelves. These alphanumeric codes organize books by subject and allow patrons to browse related titles in the stacks after finding one relevant source. If a specific book is checked out or unavailable at the home campus, the video outlines several solutions. Patrons can request a copy to be delivered to their preferred pickup location, a service that works for items available within the Ohio University system or through regional partners like Ohio Link and Search Ohio, which connect academic and public libraries across the state.
For materials not found within the university's network or state consortiums, the transcript details the interlibrary loan service, which allows borrowing from libraries outside of Ohio at no cost. To utilize this feature, users must sign into their Ohio University account to access the request form on the item page. After verifying the information, a simple submission sends a request that is fulfilled via email notification once the book arrives. The video concludes by encouraging students and faculty to contact library staff or use online chat services if they encounter difficulties locating items, ensuring that assistance is always available for anyone needing help navigating the collection.
Read the full video transcript
Today we're going to talk about how to
find books using the Ohio University
Libraries catalog.
Any search you do under the Ohio Library
catalog search will show you books
available across all of Ohio University
library locations as well as ebooks.
Ebooks are available to read online. All
you need to do is sign in with your Ohio
University login.
If the book you're interested in is a
print book, you can find it on the shelf
or request a book to be sent to any OU
library location for you to pick up,
including the regional campuses.
First, start at the Ohio University
Libraries website.
Here on the homepage, you'll see a green
search box with a drop-own menu on the
left hand side that says articles and
more. To search for books, we're going
to change that to Ohio Library Catalog.
This will change the search to only find
items that are owned by Ohio University.
Let's try a search. I'm interested in
finding books about teaching and
education. In the search bar, I'll put K
through 12 teaching. Then I'll click on
the magnifying glass search button to
the right. This search result gives me
roughly this many results, which is a
lot to work through. To narrow things
down, I'm going to use filters by
clicking on all filters in the top left
hand corner of the web page.
I'll filter by held by library, which
shows books available in print at any of
the campus libraries. Keep in mind that
clicking this filter will remove ebooks
from your result. If you want ebooks,
too, select available online. For now,
I'll leave it as held by library.
After applying this filter, I'm down to
this many results. If you still have a
lot of results to go through, another
good option to filter by is creation
date. This will allow you to search for
more recently published items.
Let's say you're interested in finding a
book that you can go get from the
library shelf right away. You can use
the location filter by scrolling down to
library. You can select the library
location you are closest to from the
list. For my search, I want books about
art teaching. So, I'm going to select
the Frederick and Kazuko Harris Fine
Arts Library. Then click on the green
button that says apply filters at the
bottom.
Let's click this book transforming city
schools through art approaches to
meaningful K through2 learning.
At the top of the page I can see some
information about the book's title,
authors, and publication date.
I can also see that it says available at
the third floor fine arts library and
the item's call number. Sometimes a book
might be checked out by another patron.
If it is, the book will show as
unavailable.
Now that we found a book we're
interested in, we have a few options for
getting it from the library.
You can find the call number and go to
the shelf to find it or request the book
for pickup.
To find a physical book in the library,
you'll need its call number. A call
number is like a book's address. It will
help you locate it on the library
shelves. The call number for this book
is NX280.T7520.
This call number appears on the spine of
the book on the shelf.
Call numbers help organize books in the
library using a combination of letters
and numbers arranged alphabetically and
numerically, which helps you locate the
exact spot on the shelf.
Once you have the call number, you're
ready to find the book in the stacks.
Call numbers also sort items by subject.
So if you need multiple books on the
same topic, once you find one book
you're interested in, you can go to the
stacks and browse the other books with
similar call numbers to find more books
on that topic.
If you ever have trouble locating a
book, you can stop by one of the library
service desks or you can reach out to us
via chat online. Library staff are
always happy to help.
You can also request a book from the
library to be put on a pickup shelf
under your name. That way, you can skip
a trip to the stacks
or sometimes the book you want isn't
available at your home campus. To
request a book from any Ohio University
library location, make sure you are
signed in to your Ohio University
account. If you're not signed in, you
will see a yellow box on the screen.
Once you're signed in, if the book is
available from Ohio University, you will
see a box that says, "Request this item
from Ohio University libraries." Click
the green request button and select the
library location you would like to pick
the book up from in the drop- down menu.
Sometimes a book you want won't be
available from Ohio University
libraries. Let's look at this example.
Teaching contemporary art with young
people, themes and art for K through2
classrooms.
This book isn't available from OU
libraries, but it is available through
Ohio Link or Search Ohio.
Ohio Link is a consortium of academic
libraries across Ohio that share their
collections. Search Ohio connects us to
public libraries in Ohio.
Because most of Ohio's libraries work
together, you can request books from
other universities or libraries in the
state and have them delivered to your
campus library.
If the book is available through Ohio
Link, you will see a box that says
request a copy from Ohio Link or Search
Ohio. Click on the blue request button.
This opens a request form where you can
choose a pickup location and submit the
request. In many cases, books arrive
within 5 to seven business days, and
you'll receive an email when they're
ready for pickup.
If a book isn't available through Ohio
Link or the Ohio University libraries,
that's okay. You can still request it
using inter library loan. Inter library
loan is a free service provided by Ohio
University libraries that allows us to
borrow materials from libraries outside
the state of Ohio.
To request a book through inter library
loan, scroll down on the item page to
where it says request through inter
library loan. Click the link. It will
ask you to sign into your Ohio
University account. It will then take
you to a page where the request form is
already filled out for you. So, all you
need to do is verify that the
information is correct and click the
green submit request button at the
bottom. You will be notified via email
when the book arrives.
And that is how you can find and request
books using Ohio University Libraries.
Please feel free to reach out to the
library if you have any questions or
need any assistance finding books.