I Still haven't Found what I'm looking for

Knowing-or at least thinking you know—how to use a library catalog is one of the most important traits of the successful library patron. Knowing what you want to check out is the first step; actually finding what you’re looking for is the next, and possibly the hardest, step. But obviously, the more you know (cue NBC “The More you Know” music), the easier it will be to find your item.

And so, here are my evaluations of the different strategies for finding items in Fondren:

·         Search by title

o   It’s best if you know the exact title of the item you're seeking so that you can search by title and quickly end your fling with the Fondren Catalog. From my experience, searching by General Keyword or Subject usually returns results that are quite irrelevant.

·         Search by author’s last name

o   This is the next best thing. If you feel like putting in the first name—because the last name is not unique enough, for instance—then always put it after the last name. Otherwise, the great Fondren catalog will assume that the first name is the last name and vice versa.

·         Search by Subject

o   This is usually an inefficient method of finding what you’re looking for, unless you’re content in finding a list of items that may or may not relate to what you’re looking for. Who knows? You may actually get lucky with this method.

·         Search for “Words anywhere”

o   Again, this method of searching is just far too general and hardly ever works, unless you’re searching for something extremely specific (e.g. The Rise and fall of the Monarch butterfly in the Himalayan Mountains). I don’t really recommend it since you’re likely to be much better served by the “Title” search.

·         Search by series or periodical

o   This only really applies to certain items (i.e. volumes of an encyclopedia or journal series), so it’s not quite a great general method of searching.

·         Ask a librarian

o   This is usually the searcher’s last resort, but just keep in mind that the Fondren librarians don’t bite.