Library catalog searching

Searching for books in the Cornell University Library Catalog is simple.

Suppose you are looking for the book "What If: Serious Scientific Answers To Absurd Hypothetical Questions". Just type in the first few words of the title and you will be rewarded with two of Randall Munroe's "What if" books in the search results. Click on the first title.

If the book is checked out you will be able to recall it from the current borrower by clicking on the "request item" button. This will give the patron a few more days to finish the book before it is meant to be returned and made available to you.

If your scroll to the bottom of the search result page you will find the virtual shelf, where you can find similar books to consider. While some will be print titles from all libraries across campus, others will be e-books.

If you cannot find the book you were looking for, try WorldCat. It searches library catalogs worldwide and allows you to place an interlibrary loan request if Cornell indeed does not own the book.