Books in the Library Catalog

Basic Search:

  1. From the library homepage, enter some key words, or a title, and select "catalog" from the drop-down menu.
  2. Alternatively, to start your search in the catalog, leave the search window empty and select catalog from the drop-down menu and click search.

Requesting Books from Elsewhere

For BOOKS already checked out, or that Cornell doesn't have:

Borrow Direct
Books arrive in 3-4 business days.

For items (books, articles, microfilm) Cornell doesn't have:

Interlibrary Loan Services
Items can arrive in as little as a few days to a couple of weeks.

For items at another campus library or the Library Annex, use the "Request" button in the Library Catalog and choose Library to Library Delivery.

Subject vs Keyword

What's the difference between keywords and subject terms?

subject terms = fewer hits & better
An item is described using subject terms when a human employee evaluates the book or article and describes it using a set of provided subject words. This human intervention means subject words are valuable and powerful. Not all words are subject terms. Each catalog/database/resource has its own set of subject terms, although they often share similarities. Once you discover the relevant subject terms in the library catalog, those terms will often translate to other databases.

keywords = more hits & sometimes worse
A keyword is loose. It means the word appears anywhere--title, author, notes, description, publisher, etc., or in the full text when that is available.

Sample Catalog Searches

Food Habits in Mexico

Indigenous American Food

African American Cooking

Food Writing

Asian Cooking

Television Cooking Shows

Other words to add to a search:

Social Aspects

Social Life and Customs

History