Library DIY

There are two ways to access the catalog from the Library homepage:

1. Click on the "Books" button above the search box on the right of the screen. The default search will search only for items in the UWG Library. To search for items from all USG Libraries, use the drop down menu to select "USG Universal Catalog." Click on the magnifying glass to see search results.

           

2. From the "Our Resources" menu box below the search bar, click on catalog.  The default search will search only for items in the UWG Library. To search for items from all USG Libraries, click on "Advanced Search" (to the right of the search box). At the top of the new search box, change the "Search Scope" from "University of West Georgia" to "University System of Georgia" by using the drop-down menu.

In the UWG catalog, it usually works best to begin with a simple search. You can then narrow your search from the results page.
(Click the Sign-in for More Options tab to access an online book, or to request an item that is located at another USG Library.)

Simple Search

You can do a simple search by entering the book title and/or the author into the search box. Note that if you do a simple search you may get many results and need to look carefully for the right item. If you want to find books on your topic, enter 1-3 keywords that describe your topic. (You can also use the Advanced search for more search options.)

Examples: bilingual education; gothic architecture; greek utopias; cochlear implants.

Advanced Search

For more precise searching use the Advanced Search. Click "Advanced Search" to the right of the search box. You can then limit your search terms to specified fields, like Title or Author.

Limiting Search Results to Books

From the search results page you can limit your results to books. From the search options, find "Format" and select "Books."

Limiting Search Results to e-books

There are two steps to limiting the results to e-books:

1. Limit results to electronic sources: In the limiter options (on the left if in full-screen mode on a computer, or under "Tweak My Results" on smaller screens), find the "Availability" heading and select "Full Access Online."
2. Limit results to books: In the limiter option, find the "Format" heading and select "Books."

To decide which item/s are relevant to you, view information on the results page. It includes basic information like the item's title, author, publication date, and location and availability. Click on a book title to see the full record and more details about the book (e.g., summary, relevant subjects).View the search results carefully to be sure you have located the correct version of your book (e.g., correct author, publication year, or format).

First check the location and availability in the catalog.

For online books at UWG, click the "Online Access" link.

If UWG Library...

• does not provide access to the e-book and does not have a print version of the book, the Library may be able to get a print version through Resource Sharing.
• has only the electronic version of book and you want the print version, you can also request the print through Resource Sharing.

Print books have a physical library location. To find the physical location of a print book locate the catalog record. Then look at the "Available at" section of the record. If the book is available, the location will be listed by 1) the general Library location and 2) the call number.

Often UWG Library does not have a book, but can borrow it from another USG Library through the service GIL Express. This is usually the case if you search for a book in the USG catalog and the book's record says "Check holdings." 

Check out or renew library materials

Library does not have item

Borrow book through GIL Express