When starting to look for books in the library using the online catalog, it is best to start with a key word or phrase to describe your topic or question. This can be a descriptive word or phrase, a person's name, or a theory or philosophy. Once you identify some relevant information on your topic, use titles, subject headings, and authors to search for additional relevant content.
Once you have found a physical book in the library (not an ebook). You will need the call number and location to locate the book. Most of our books are located in the circulating collection, which will be in the "stacks, main and upper level". For more information of finding books, you can find a library map here or view our interactive tutorial.
Enter your search:
Search our library catalog and many (but not all) of our databases simultaneously, or in any number of combinations that you select. JumpStart combines the library's catalog and about half of our online databases into a single search. Coverage: varies. Some full text.
Access books and other materials from across the disciplines, including but not limited to fiction, nonfiction, music scores/sheet music, and scholarly works. Approximately 51% of content is in English, the other 49% consists of materials in over 450 different languages. Most content dates from the late 18th to the early 20th centuries. Items in the public domain are in full-view for everyone and items held in copyright are searchable. Coverage: varies, contains primary sources. Some full text. See our special access instructions.
Use the "Borrow from Other Libraries" tab in JumpStart. If a book is not available in the Dickinson library's catalog, try searching in these locations:
Use Google Books (https://books.google.com) to search within an existing book (can be especially helpful for identifying chapters in a book -- look for a table of contents) or discover books that we do not have in our library.