Tools for Research in Library & Information Studies : Library Catalog

An introduction to resources and research techniques for Library & Information Studies.

Introduction to the library catalog

The library catalog is UW's online public access catalog (OPAC). Although it's not as intuitive as a Google search, it's basic search functionality is straight-forward.

Accessing your library account

You can check your library account and renew materials online through the library catalog.

To see your account:

1. From the library home page at http://library.wisc.edu.

Select "My Accounts" in the upper right hand corner.
Select "Library Account"
Enter your net-id and password in the text boxes and push the login button.
You should now see a display of all items associated with your library record.
To renew items, click the "renew" box to the right of the desired item.

Placing a request

The library catalog can be used to place holds and send materials to different libraries. To place a request:

Perform a search for your material in the library catalog.
At the item record, select "Place a Request" from the top right side of the page.
Enter your net-id and password.
Select a pickup location.
Click "Submit Request."

Performing a UW System Search

By default, the UW System Search allows you to search for materials throughout every UW library. This is useful for finding materials that are either checked out or not available through UW-Madison libraries.

To conduct a UW-Madison only search:

From the library home page at http://library.wisc.edu.

Perform a search through the catalog.
On the results screen, select "Limit to UW Resources".

Useful LIS Subject Headings for the library catalog

Academic libraries	Geographic information systems	Libraries and people with disabilities	Library science as a profession

Acquisitions (Libraries)	Information behavior	Library administration	Library science--Periodicals

Archives	Information commons	Library architecture	Library science--Research

Archival resources	Information dissemination	Library catalogs and users	Library science--Technological innovations

Bibliography	Information literacy	Library circulation and loans	Library surveys

Book selection	Information management	Library cooperation	Library use studies

Books	Information networks	Library education	Medical informatics

Cataloging	Information organization	Library employees	Metadata

Censorship	Information policy	Library finance	Nonbook materials

Children's libraries	Information resources	Library fittings and supplies	Online social networks

Classification	Information resources management	Library information networks	Privacy, right of

Collection development (Libraries)	Information science	Library legislation	Prohibited books

Comparative librarianship	Information storage and retrieval systems	Library materials	Public libraries

Copyright	Institution libraries	Library of Congress	Public services (Libraries)

Corporate libraries	Instructional materials centers	Library orientation	School libraries

Database design	Internet	Library outreach programs	Semantic Web

Digital libraries	Internet access for library users	Library personnel management	Social media

Documentation	International librarianship	Library planning	Special libraries

Electronic books	Librarians	Library rules and regulations	Web archives

Electronic journals	Libraries and minorities	Library schools and training	Web site development

Fair use (Copyright)	Libraries and sexual minorities	Library science