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University of Texas University of Texas Libraries

UGS 302: Hope Amidst Change -- Ramirez

Find Books at UT Libraries

Looking for a book?

Search for a Book

From the UT Libraries' homepage, type the book title you are searching for in the search box. Then, select "Books and Media" from the dropdown arrow to narrow your results.

A photo of the main search box on the UT Libraries website homepage. The prompt reads "What can we help you find?" with a search box underneath. To the right of the search box there is a drop down menu to narrow your search. To the right of the drop down menu there is a "Search" button that will display results once pressed.

 

Understanding your Results 

After searching, you need to look for four details:

The image shows an example of a search result listing. On the left, there is a small photo of the cover of the book. Listed to the right of the book there are descriptors that tell a patron the type of resource it is, "book," (with the addition of a red circle graphic with a "1") the title of the book "Of mice and men / John Steinbeck ; with an introduction by Susan Shillinglaw," the author of the book and their birth/death dates, "Steinbeck, John, 1902-1968," the year it was published, "1994," and the publisher of the book, "Penguin twentieth-century classics." Under these descriptors, there is a red circle graphic with the number 2. To the right of the graphic, it reads "Available as Perry-Castañeda Library PCL Stacks (PS 3537 T3234 O2 1994)" Above the library name there is a red circle graphic with a "3" inside. Next to the call number there is a red circle graphic with a "4" inside.

1. Ensure you see "Book" (rather than "Video").

2. If you see the word "Available" in green text, the book can be checked out. Print books will have the library name and a call number, while ebooks will say "Available Online." If a book is checked out, it will say "Not Available - Loan" in gray text. 

3. For print books, you have a couple of options for retrieving:

              a. You can request a book through the "Pick It Up" service. The book is sent to the hold shelf at the library location of your choice. (You can choose this option for books that are marked as "Not Available" too! It could 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!

This image demonstrates where to click to access the "Pick It Up" resource. The text reads "Get It," and "Request: Pick It Up" with a red box around the "Pick It Up" button and a red arrow pointing toward it.

      b. You can get the book off the shelf yourself. Proceed to 4 if this is your preferred method. 

4. Use the call number (the book's address in the library) and the floor map (PCL call number map) to find where the book is located. If you need help understanding how to read call numbers, see the side bar or visit the check out desk to ask a friendly library staff member. 

 

Checking out Books

Visit the check out desk once you have the books you need or once you get an email that your items are ready for pick up. You need your UT ID to successfully check out books. Happy reading!

Search for ebooks

Not all of our books are available online as ebooks. Here is how to limit your search to only books available online.

These screenshots (you can open them in a new tab to enlarge) lead you from www.lib.utexas.edu

Step 1:

A photo of the main search box on the UT Libraries website homepage. The prompt reads "What can we help you find?" with a search box underneath. To the right of the search box there is a drop down menu to narrow your search. To the right of the drop down menu there is a "Search" button that will display results once pressed. There is a green text box near the dropdown menu that says "Select 'Books and Media' from the dropdown menu before you search."

 

Step 2:

e search box there is a drop down menu to narrow your search. To the right of the drop down menu there is a "Search" button that will display results once pressed. Above the search box there is a green text box that says "Enter your search terms..." (with the search term "Intersectionality" in the box) and another green text box that reads "and press search!"

 

Step 3:

Once you have searched, the results will populate below. On the left side, you can limit to items available online by pressing the "Show Only" drop down filter and pressing Available online (will limit to ebooks)

 

Step 4:

Under each result, there is a link Available Online. Click that.

Step 5:

Once you are in the full record, there is an option that says "View Online." Under that is the link you can press to access the full text- the link will have the publisher's name (which will differ depending on the book)

FAQs

I really want this book, but it is checked out. Is there anything I can do?

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 library location you choose. It will take an estimated 1-2 business days for your book to be retrieved. You can learn more about the service here.

 

Need a more advanced search?

 

If you need more options to search, you can click on the Advanced Search link located under the general search box on the UT libraries' homepage.  

 

LIB USE ONLY? 

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 in the library where it is located. 

 

I checked out a book, and I am not ready to return it. What can I do?

You can renew it! You can renew your book at any library location or online, through My Accounts. My Accounts can be found on the upper right-hand corner of the screen.

 

I can't find the book that I need. What can I do?

If the UT Libraries doesn't have a book you need, you can request either a scan of an excerpt or the entire book through Interlibrary Services. If you are requesting a scan, you'll receive an email when the pdf is ready. If you are requesting the loan of an entire book, it will be shipped in the mail and you'll receive an email when you can come pick it up. It typically takes longer than requesting a scan. Click on the link below to create an account and request a scan of a chapter or the loan of a book.

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How do you read a call number?

Most books in our libraries are organized by the Library of Congress (LoC) Classification Scheme. Call numbers will be located on the spine of the book. The call number is made up of letters and numbers that are read left-to-right and top-to-bottom. 

1. Read the first line in alphabetical order. (ex. A, B, BF, C, CA, etc.)

2. Read the second line as a whole number, in numerical order (ex. 1, 3, 28.34, 28.57, 144, 300, 1441, 7028, etc.)

3. If there is a third line, it is usually a decimal followed by a letter and a number. First, read the letter alphabetically. Then, read the number as a decimal. (ex. .C45, .F6, .K 78, .P9, etc.)

4. Other lines may include the year the book was published, volume numbers, copy numbers, or a combination. These can be read in numerical order. 

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