Library Skills - Basic Course: Using the Library Catalog

All items in our catalog have a call number on them (PZ4 .A13 2007, for example). Others may have other letters in front of the letters that begin a call number. Those are codes denoting a specific collection. Here's what the codes mean:

• CIRMC - The book is part of our McNaughton Collection, a collection of current popular fiction. These books are located on the first floor.
• JUV - The book is part of our juvenile collection. These are located on the first floor.
• LOCAL - This collection includes selected local history items and books that librarians have deemed "rare." These books are kept in a locked cabinet in our local history room and are library use only. See a staff member to use.
• MEDAU - This is an audiobook (book on CD). These are located on the first floor.
• MEDVD - This denotes a DVD. These are located on the first floor across from the juvenile collection.
• REF - A reference book. These can only be used in the library and are located on the second floor across from the Olana Study Corner.
• YABKS - A book in our Young Adult collection. This collection is mostly fiction titles, with some nonfiction. This collection is located on the library's first floor.

The following video will teach you how to search for print and electronic books using Primo, the library's online catalog. 

One feature of Primo, the CGCC Library's online catalog, is that you can virtually browse the book stacks. Watch the brief video tutorial to learn more. 

Primo, the C-GCC catalog is a powerful tool to quickly locate the items you need for your research. In addition to locating scholarly articles, every book, DVD or audiobook owned by the library is in the catalog, and every item in the catalog has a record.

If you want to search for items owned by the library, type your term(s) in the search box. A dropdown menu will appear with search options. Select Library Catalog. You can narrow the results further. Under Refine Your Results, click Held by Library.

If you are searching for a specific title, type the title name in quotation marks and click Library Catalog from the dropdown menu.

If you are looking for a book by, for example, John Steinbeck, type in their name and click Library Catalog from the dropdown menu. You can narrow the results further. Under Refine Your Results, click Author/Creator. You should see your author's name and the number of results available. Click on the author's name. 

If you're interested in books about John Steinbeck, follow the same steps as above, but under Refine Your Results, click Subject. Select Biographies or Criticism Interpretation, or another subject. You can check each box next to the item and select as many options as you like. 

If you're searching for a DVD, or audiobook, click on the Advanced Search feature. Under Material Type, select Sound Recordings for audiobooks, or Video/Film for DVDs.