Finding Books in Olin
Note: Pay attention to the call numbers and note whether the material is shelved in the regular, oversized (+), or double oversized (++) sections.
Finding Books
The Cornell University Library uses the Library of Congress classification system.
Narrowing results
Catalogs: Learn to search library catalogs effectively to locate books and other relevant materials
Example Catalog Record
Subject Browse
Use the Subject Browse feature to discover books in the catalog :
Beyoncé, 1981- > Criticism and interpretation.
BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY > Personal Memoirs
Primary Sources in Books
Browse footnotes and bibliographies of books, subject encyclopedias, and articles for information about primary sources.
Search the Library Catalog for primary sources--both unpublished manuscripts and modern editions in print and online, sometimes in translation, of original primary sources. Combine subject searches for terms like:
in an Advanced Search with searches for the authors and artists you are researching.
Ebooks at Cornell
Find ebooks by searching the Cornell Library catalog; most have individual title records. Use the "Online" filter to limit your search to ebooks.
Most ebooks are accessed on digital platforms which are not managed by the library. Different platforms have different features (and challenges).. For help with ebooks see this guide Ebooks at Cornell, or ask a librarian.
What to do if it's not available
If the catalog record indicates that the material is "charged," it means that someone else has signed out the book. You can recall it by clicking on "request." That takes about two weeks. You can also try to get it through Borrow Direct.
Borrow Direct
Click on the link to connect to Borrow Direct, search for the book and if it's available from another Ivy League university (or Johns Hopkins, Duke, MIT, University of Chicago, and soon: Stanford), we will have it shipped to Cornell. Borrowing period is for eight weeks, renewable once. Books arrive in 3-4 business days. If we do not have an item that you need (any item -- journal article, DVD, dissertation, etc.):
Use ILLiad (InterLibrary Loan Internet Accessible Database) 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 (This service will not work for items that Cornell already owns, but are checked out by other borrowers).