It can be a little tricky finding books in the library, since it's so much bigger than many high school libraries, and even some local public libraries. Please don't hesitate to ask for help at the Reference Desk or the Circulation Desk! Sometimes books are misplaced or missing, and sometimes it's just hard to find them according to their call numbers.

We're here to help!

Use the Library Catalog to search for books on a particular topic you are researching, starting with a general "Keyword" search to see what you can find. Make sure to note which location the book is found in and whether it is checked out or available. 

If you are not having much luck with the keyword search, you can use a "Subject" search by choosing that tag from the drop down menu on the main search bar to hone in on a specific topic.

This can be tricky, but here are some examples of subjects you can use (the links will take you directly into the catalog with the search results for these subject terms):​

Browsing

There are two ways to browse for books.  One way is to find a book online in the catalog and use the "Browse the Shelf" section of the record to virtually scan the neighboring books.  The other way is to look around on the shelves when you go to find a book in the library stacks. Either way, take your time and you just might find some surprisingly relevant books nearby!

Citing your sources properly -- yes, even the websites and images you use, and the videos you quote from! -- is important and required.

Purdue University's OWL Writing Lab citation resources are the best ones out there on the web. Guides for MLA, APA and Chicago style are available -- check with your professor about which citation style you need to use for each particular assignment.

Diane can help with citations, too!