Secondary sources describe, discuss, interpret, comment upon, analyze, evaluate, summarize, and process primary sources. Secondary source materials can be things like books, articles in encyclopedias or articles found in scholarly journals that discuss or evaluate someone else's original research.
Start searching with the big search box on the library homepage.
A more targeted place to search is at the link for Articles & More beneath the search bar.
On the left toolbar in an Articles & More search, check these boxes for credible & relevant results:
If you want to narrow even more, try these options to filter:
Keep an eye on the number of your search results. Start browsing when you feel you have a manageable number of results to skim through.
From the UT Libraries' homepage, type the book title or keyword you are searching for in the search box. You'll find results across many different library resources.
When your results load, select "Library Catalog" from the dropdown arrow to narrow your results to include books and media
After searching, you need to look for four details:
1. Is this book in print or is it electronic (an ebook that you can access online)?
2. If the book you want is a physical book, log into your account and look for the pick it up button.
3. Is the book AVAILABLE? If not, there will be a due date. Click the Pick it Up Button to request it and select the library location where you'd like to pick it up. Keep in mind that if there is a due date, it will take several days for the current borrower to return it. Wait for an email telling you your books are ready before you come get them!
4. Are you ready to check out? Either get the book off the shelf yourself, or click the Pick it Up button and a library staff member will get the book and bring it to the library location you selected to pick it up. Wait for an email telling you your books are ready before you come get them! It will take 1-2 business days.
All you need is your UT ID!
Not all of our books are available online as ebooks. Here is how to limit your search to only books available online.
Remember that your keyword strategy will need to be broader because books cover broader topics than do articles.
These screenshots (you can open them in a new tab to enlarge) lead you from www.lib.utexas.edu
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Yes! If you would like to get a hold of a book that has been checked out, you can request the book. The library will then change the due date so that the current borrower has to return it earlier. To request a book, go to the library catalog, click the pick it up button, log in with your UT EID, and then request the book. You can learn more about this feature here.
Pick it up?
Pick it up is a service that allows you to request your book to be retrieved from the shelf and be delivered to the UT library of your choice. It will take an estimated 3-5 days for your book to be retrieved. You can learn more about it here.
If you need more options to search, you can click on the Books & Media option on the Libraries home page and choose Advanced Search.
LIB USE ONLY means library use only. When a book has this label under its current status, you can only access and read the book at its library location.
You can renew it! You can renew your book at any library location or online, through My Account. To access your account, click on My Accounts, located on the upper right-hand corner of the screen on the library home page.
If the UT Libraries doesn't have a book you need, you can request it through InterLibrary Loan. The service is free and unlimited. Click on the link below to create an account and request a loan.
If we don't have a book or article you need, we can still get it for you through Interlibrary Services.
To request a scan of a scholarly article, newspaper article or book chapter, use our 
service to have a PDF scan emailed to you within 1-3 business days.
How much is it? Its free!
How many times can you do this? There is no limit to the number of individual requests you can make. However, you can only request up to 3 chapters from one book.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic License.