Researchers typically read only a few pages of a reference book to get an overview of a topic and discover the useful keywords and issues that will help them find more books and articles.  

Ashland University Library Catalog

OhioLINK Catalog

• OhioLINK is a consortium of 90 Ohio  academic libraries.  
• You may request that books be sent to or you may return to any OhioLINK library near your location.
• Your library record, including OhioLINK loans, are maintained by the AU Library. Link to My Account on Library home page. View or renew there.
•  It normally takes 4-5 days for items requested from OhioLINK to arrive at the designated pick-up location. You may return to any OhioLINK library.
• You will be emailed when OhioLINK requests are ready for you to pick up at the library you designated
• This service is not used to request articles.

Map of OhioLINK libraries

WorldCat Catalog

Includes books and other media in US libraries.  Used only for locating, not requests. Once you have found an item you would like, you have two options...

• Fill out an interlibrary loan request form. Enter as much information as you can find from the WorldCat record. 
•  Enter your zipcode to find availability in a library near you.

You found a good book listed in the AU Library Catalog. Now what?

Check out How to find a book in the AU Library

Renew your library books and check status of OhioLINK requests

Keyword Search or Subject Search?

1. Keyword Search

Use natural language by typing a word or phrase.

• Use simple words, not sentences.

• Put quotes or parentheses around phrases when you want to retrieve all of the  words, in the exact order given. Example: “American cinema"

• You can expand your search by inserting OR between words.   Example: science fiction OR fantasy

• You can narrow your search by inserting AND between words. Example: gender AND race

• You can use an * to retrieve multiple variants of a word with one  efficient search. Example: communicat* retrieves results with communicate, communicating, communicator, communicates or communication

• Refine your search Example: (American cinema) AND (gender) AND ("science fiction" OR fantasy) 

2. Subject Search

Library catalogs use specific Library of Congress Subject Headings to classify books. When you search, the words have to be typed in the exact order used by Library of Congress.

• You will find the assigned Library of Congress Subject Headings listed in each book record. The subject headings in each book record are linked. Once you find a relevant subject heading in a book record, you will discover more books on the topic by clicking on the link.

Article databases also use a controlled vocabulary similar to Library of Congress, but different databases may use different subject terms.

            *Note: You cannot use operators such as AND or OR , nor truncate with an asterisk when doing a subject search.*

Examples of a few subject headings related to Motion Pictures:

Motion Pictures -- 21st Century 

Film Criticism 

Horror Films -- Appreciation -- Fiction

Shawshank redemption (Motion picture)

Drama Prisoners United States