Get Books, Journals & More  Tags: library research basics  

There are 3 ways to start searching the library catalog:

1. Search box on the library home page or our Quick Search page
   
2. Quick Search in the Catalog
3. Advanced Search in the Catalog

Each of these offers a different set of options that are described below.

You can start search directly on the website and some library guides using these instant search boxes:

Search DTC Library:
in   Any Word Anywhere Title Words Journal/Magazine Title Author Words Subject Words ISBN

Quick Search is the best option when you are looking for something specific since it gives you instant access to basic search options, like search categories and quick search limits.

NOTE: The default Quick Search is Any Word Anywhere. This is an "or" search; "Cats and Dogs" (without quotes in the search) will find records containing "Cats" or "Dogs." Any Word Anywhere may produce thousands of results.

TIP: Quick Search has 3 unique searches that give you "browse" lists - Author, Subject, and Call Number. For these searches, you can't use limits like "Downtown Campus Library only". These searches can be helpful if you want to compare similar topics (subjects often have broader and narrower versions) or find a specific author who has a common name.

Advanced Search offers a more powerful search by letting you combine several types of search options at once. Use the "Search by" menu to choose search options, such as Title Words, Subject Words, ISBN, etc. Use the And/Or/Not buttons to control how you combine the searches.

If you want to limit what you're searching by location, language, or format click on "More Limits" to find a variety of advanced options.

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