FINDING BOOKS and More
Find nearly everything owned by the Cornell University Library by searching the "Classic" Catalog. This includes books, journals, magazines, newspapers, videotapes, audiotapes, music CDs, CD-ROMs, DVDs, manuscripts, microfilm, microfiche--in short, anything the Library owns.
You can search by author, title, subject heading, call number, or journal title. You can also search by keyword--any combination of words in the author, title, subject, contents, and notes fields. Words are combined using the Boolean operators AND, OR, or NOT. You will have an opportunity to practice this searching in class.
This online catalog also allows you to recall or put a hold on items that are currently checked out by other library users. Clicking on the Requests button allows you to see what you have checked out; you can also renew your books from this page.
Connect to the "Classic" Catalog
Example of a book you might find using this catalog:
Knorr, Karin D.
The manufacture of knowledge : an essay on the constructivist and contextual nature of science.
New York : Pergamon, 1981.
(Olin Library Q175 .K72 +)
Two things to remember about the Classic Catalog:
1. This online catalog lists the holdings of all twenty Cornell libraries.
2. You cannot find journal articles in this catalog. Only the titles of journals, magazines, and newspapers are listed along with the years and volumes that we own.
WHAT IF WE DON'T OWN IT?
If we don't have a BOOK that you need or if we have the book but it's checked out:
Borrow Direct
Click on the link above, connect to Borrow Direct, search for the book and if it's available from another Ivy League university, we will have it shipped to Cornell. Borrowing period is one month. Books arrive in 3-4 business days. (This service is for BOOKS only).
If we don't own an item that you need (any item -- journal article, DVD, dissertation, etc.) :
Click on the link above, connect to Borrow Direct, search for the book and if it's available from another Ivy League university, we will have it shipped to Cornell. Borrowing period is one month. Books arrive in 3-4 business days. (This service is for BOOKS only).
If we don't own an item that you need (any item -- journal article, DVD, dissertation, etc.) :
Interlibrary Loan Service
If Cornell Library does not have an item you need, use our interlibrary loan service to request that we borrow materials from other libraries. Loan period is usually one month. Items can arrive in as little as a few days to a couple of weeks.
We invite you to check with the reference staff if you are having trouble finding a particular book or journal. We can help!
