Trek 1:
Analysing your topic
Trek 2:
Finding keywords
Trek 3:
Understanding your reading list
Trek 5:
Using the Library Catalogue 2
Trek 6:
Finding journal articles
Trek 7:
Searching the Web
Trek 8:
Evaluating resources
Trek 9:
Referencing
Trek 10:
Using Library services from home
Feedback
Send the InfoTrekk team your comments
If you've done Trek 3, you'll be able to tell the difference between books, journal articles, web sites, etc. when they appear on your reading list.
This Trek will help you understand how to search for these items using a library catalogue.
Books
Article in a book
Journal articles
A paper from a conference or seminar
The Catalogue says it's in the Library, but where do I find it?
Link to Curtin Library Catalogue
When you know the name of the author (or editor) and the title of a book, you can search a library catalogue using either of these.
Here is an example of a book reference:
Scarisbrick, D. 1995, Tudor and Jacobean Jewellery, Tate Publishing, London.
To see if this book is in the Library, you can search the Catalogue by choosing an Author search and entering:
Scarisbrick
It's an unusual name, so you'll probably find the book right away. If the author was Smith J, a different search would be best.
You can also choose a Title search, entering:
tudor and jacobean jewellery
Some library catalogues allow you to do a Keyword or Word search where you can enter the author's family name and/or some words from the title, for example:
scarisbrick tudor jacobean
This is the fastest way to search the Curtin Library Catalogue.
Here is an example of a reference to an article or chapter in a book:
Ruddell, A. 1998, 'The physical properties of snow', in K. Green (ed), Snow: a natural history; an uncertain future, Australian Alps Liaison Committee, Canberra, pp. 35-55.
The trick in searching for this in a library catalogue is to remember that the article is in a book. To see if the library has the book you can search by its author (or editor in this case), or by the title of the book.
You could enter:
Green (the editor) as an Author search (but there will be many with this name)
OR Snow a natural history (the title of the book) in a Title search
OR if you are using a Keywords search in the Curtin catalogue, you can enter
green snow history ( this is the quickest search)
Remember: you must search using the author, editors or title of the whole book as its chapters or articles are not listed in library catalogues.
Here is an example of a journal article on a reading list:
Dolven, B. 2002, 'Keep on trucking', Far Eastern Economic Review, vol. 165, no. 28, p. 28.
To find a journal article, you need to see if the library has the journal it appears in. Library catalogues only list the journals the library holds, not the articles in them. There are simply too many journal articles for their details to be included in a library catalogue.
To find the example above, you must search by the title of the journal, which appears just before the volume and issue number, typing:
Far Eastern Economic Review
The next important step is to check to see whether the library has the volume and issue of the journal that contains this article. In this case:
vol. 165, no. 28Later in this Trek you will see how to do this in the Curtin Library Catalogue.
This is an example of a reference to a paper presented at a conference:
Sogar, D.H. 1992, 'Marketing hospitality, travel and tourism management education', Paper presented at the 1992 Marketing Educators' Conference, 4-6 February, 1992, pp.87-98.
Just like book chapters and journal articles, conference papers are not listed in catalogues. You need to search by the name of the conference in an Author search. In this example it is:
Marketing Educators' Conference
If the name of the group or association who organised the conference also appears in the reference, you can also search by this as an Author. Searching on several words from the conference as Keywords is often more effective.
This part of the Trek is a description of the Curtin Library Catalogue, but most library catalogues are similar. When using any library catalogue always follow the instructions on the screen.
If the Curtin Catalogue tells you that Curtin has the item you want, it will also tell you where to find it (and whether it is available or on loan to someone).
Curtin University has more than one library, so you may find that an item is at Kalgoorlie, Esperance, Muresk, the Teaching Resources Library, Murray Street Library or at the Robertson Library. (The Robertson Library on the Bentley campus is by far the biggest). Curtin staff and students can Request an item from branch libraries through the catalogue at no cost.
To see where an item is, you need to look at the information under the Held at heading. Here is an example:
| # | Author | Title | Year | Held at | |
| 1 | Watson, Donald,1946- | A dictionary of mind and body : therapies, techniques and ideas in alternative medicine, the healing arts and psychology / Donald Watson. | 1995 | Robertson Library Level 2 Reference Collection R 615.503 WAT |
This information tells you that this book is available in the Robertson Library. It is on Level 2, in the Reference Collection.
R615.503 WAT is the book's shelf number. This is the number on the spine of the book that enables you to find it on the shelf.
You will need to check whether the book has been borrowed by someone. Click on the shelf number. A new window appears on your screen, with more information about the book's availability.
| Location | Shelf No. | ||||
| Robertson Library Level 2 Reference Collection | R 615.503 MOS | Not for loan | Check shelf |
This book is Not for loan - it can't be borrowed because it is a reference book. You also see Check shelf which means that the book should be in its place at the shelf number. For an item that has been borrowed, the date it must be returned is listed here (On loan. Due back...)
Our next example is a journal article:
Zou, K. 1996, 'An environmental regime for the Arctic and the Antarctic analogy', Asian Yearbook of International Law, vol. 6, pp.29-61.
To see if Curtin has this article, you'll need to search the Catalogue by the name of the journal. In this example, this is the Asian Yearbook of International Law. Use the Journals part of the Catalogue (click on the word Journals in the blue section at the top of the screen), as sometimes books and journals have similar names. Do a title search for the journal. You should get a screen that looks like this:
| No. of Recs | Entry |
1 |
The Asian Wall St Journal |
1 |
Asian Yearbook of International Law |
1 |
AsiaPacific |
1 |
Asiatic studies |
1 |
Asiaweek |
1 |
AsiaWeek |
1 |
ASIS |
2 |
ASIS news |
2 |
ASIS newsletter |
1 |
ASIST |
The journal we want, Asian Yearbook of International Law, only has one entry. Click on its name to find out more about the journal. If you were looking for, say, AsiaWeek, try selecting the first one (spelt Asiaweek); if that one doesn't have the issue you need then try the other one.
On the next screen, the Held at column tells you:
Before going to level 4, it's a good idea to check if the particular issue you need is kept there. To find out, click on the text in the Held at column. This says that we have:
We're in luck, as our article is in volume 6. 'Selected issues only' means that we only get some issues, but we do have volumes 1, 2 and 6.
Curtin Library also has many journals in electronic format. Searching on the name of the journal in the catalogue will also tell you if it's available electronically. For example:
Maddess, T., Severt, W.L., & Stange, G. 2001, 'Comparison of three tests using the frequency doubling illusion to diagnose glaucoma', Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology, vol. 29, no. 6, pp. 359-367.
If you search for Clinical and experimental ophthalmology in the Journals part of the catalogue, the Title column says:
Clicking on this link will take you to the Blackwell-Synergy database and a list of available issues for this journal.
For some other databases, this link will take you straight to the database and you will then need to find the journal and article you're after.
Now to find that article in the Far Eastern Economic Review.
This article can be found in lots of ways! Explore the different entries available after you do your search in the Journals part of the catalogue. You will find that it is available in several spots:
Searching library catalogues is an essential skill for finding your readings. You need to practice for confidence and library staff will help you if needed. Try our InfoTrekker Quiz. You've probably learnt more than you think!
When you're ready, try Trek 5: Using the Library Catalogue 2 which will teach you how to search a library catalogue to find sources on a subject, but don't have a reading list to start with.
To practice catalogue searching or to work through a guide in steps, you can use the links below.
Link to
Curtin Library Catalogue
Step-by-Step Guide: Curtin Library Catalogue
