How do I find books?

Checking for a specific book

Try searching by title first.

1. Go to the Books Search
2. Type your book’s title into the search box
3. Change “Search Everything” to “Title” in the drop-down box
4. Click Go

If you do not know the title, try searching for the author. Use the same procedure as above, but pick “author” from the drop-down box instead of “title”. If you know the ISBN of the book, you can search for that by picking ISBN from the drop-down box.

If your book appears in the list of results, we have a copy. Availability is listed after the call number. If it's available, then then make a note of the floor (see floor map) and call number so you can retrieve the book.

Need help? Ask a Librarian.

Finding books about a given topic

You can search the library for books about a particular subject.

1. Go to the Books Search
2. Type your subject into the search box
3. Change “Search Everything” to “Subject” in the drop-down box
4. Click Go

Looking for just the right book can be time consuming. Here are some common problems and ways to fix them:

There are too many results!

Try narrowing your search results using the “Refine your search” bar on the left of the search results.

Alternatively, try adding more keywords to your initial search.

I’m not finding anything!

Try brain-storming alternate keywords. If you get poor results searching for “planes,” try “aircraft.”

Try a general keyword search (the default settings).

In some fields, authors usually write journal articles instead of books. Try searching for articles.

I’m finding stuff, but not what I want.

Try using your textbook or an article as a source of search terms and references. Writers on your subject may be using specialized vocabulary.

If the results are off topic, then try the advice in “I’m not finding anything!”

If the results are on topic, but don’t support your paper the way you expected, consider revising your thesis in light of new evidence.

Nothing’s working! I’m so frustrated!

Breathe deeply.

Get a cool drink of water.

Ask a Librarian.

Finding books at other libraries

For broader searches, try WorldCat, a combined catalog of thousands of libraries around the world.

The library can borrow books from other libraries for you through Inter-Library Loan. This is free to UND students, faculty, and staff in most cases. For more details, consult the Inter-Library Loan Overview.