Library catalogues

Library Catalogue is an effective search engine that can help you explore your library collections. Every library has a catalogue. A catalogue can help you find:

QAHE students can use two libraries and their catalogues: 

Simple search

Simple search is the quickest way to find a range of resources available. 

Use the search bar to search by:

Advanced search (Build a search)

The build a search option allows you to be more specific with what you are looking for. 

Combine different elements to find specific books (see image below) or refine your search by selecting specific format or publication date.

Keywords

Library catalogues do not do full-text searches inside books. Therefore, they may not be able to identify useful books if you search for the topics covered on a few pages.

For example:

You are more likely to find books that you need by searching a wider subject area the topic might belong to.

If unsure what textbooks may be useful to you, ask your lecturer or librarian, see reading lists and use Google Books to do a full-text search inside books. 

Understanding library catalogue records

Each book title has its own catalogue record. 

Catalogue records contain a variety of information:

This is what the catalogue record looks like when opened. (Click here to see this example in your browser.)

The top of the page has the title of the book, author, publisher and a brief description.

Many textbooks have multiple editions. Normally a librarian would recommend the latest edition. You can find out if there are other editions of a book that you need either by searching for the author or checking the Related field in the catalogue record. 

The middle of the page will have keywords and reading lists associated with this book.

At the bottom of the screen, you can see the number of copies available in 4 campuses. 

Logging into the library catalogue

Logging into the library catalogue gives access to a number of catalogue features:

Students

If you entered your loggins correctly, you should now see your Name where Login button used to be! 

Staff

If you entered your loggins correctly, you should now see your Name where Login button used to be! 

Managing your library loans online

Library users receive email reminders about their library loans close to the return due date and after the due date. Users can renew their library loans by emailing or calling the library (see Contacts page for more information). Alternatively, users can renew their library loans using the library catalogue:

Reserving books

Students can reserve books using the library catalogue. Note: you can only place reservations on books when no available copies are available at the library. We operate on a first come - first serve basis, meaning reservations cannot be placed on books currently on library shelves.

Alternatively, contact your campus librarian and let them know that you would like to reserve a book and we will happily do it for you!

Rating and reviewing books using the library catalogue

Users can rate and review books they find on the library catalogue. 

This is a great way to recommend books you found useful or let others knows some of the benefits/drawbacks you observed in a book. 

To rate/review a book on the library catalogue:

Your reviews will be sent to us for approval. Both - positive and negative - reviews are welcome! BUT, we strongly discourage from using offensive language. Once your review is approved you will receive a confirmation email and your review will be visible to other library users.