OneSearch, How to Use the Library's Catalog: Home

Step One:

Start by typing in a few keywords on your subject, the book or article title, or author and choose the type of source you are looking for. If you are searching for books and articles, click the Everything tab. 

Step Two:

Below is a typical results page. You can use the filters on the left to narrow down your results. If you specifically want items found in the library (books), click In the Library. If you need peer-reviewed articles, click Peer-reviewed Journals. There are a variety of ways to filter your results. The highlighted sections in the photo below tell you what type of source it is and where to find it, either online or where on the shelf. 

Sometimes, finding the right words to use is the problem. Read through the tips below and watch the video for finding better keywords to use. This is often the most complicated part of your research.

When starting your research inquiry and throughout your inquiry process, your goal should be to find better, more relevant keywords.

• Search a reference source like Wikipedia or online encyclopedia. These sources will help you become familiar with the jargon of your topic. For example you may use the term preschool and an expert in education may use the term early childhood education.
• Search for synonyms or historical terms. Similar to the idea above, if you are researching a historical topic, you may need to think about terms that used to be commonplace but have since changed. For example, gifted used to be the term used for high achieving students, but more recently, research uses the term accelerated learner.

For more information, watch the video below:

When you click on a title from the list of results, the full record will open as shown in the photo below. In the red circle, you will find options for printing, citing, linking, and emailing the source. Always make sure you can find this source again. The highlighted section shows you the link to open the article. 

You can access the library resources from anywhere as long as you have an internet connection. Simply login when prompted with your Butte College email and password. If you are having issues logging in, please contact the reference desk at 530-879-4024 or referenceli@butte.edu.