Contents
Using the catalog
You can use the State Library of Ohio catalog to:
- Find books, music, films, ebooks, scholarly journals, theses, and more
- Access ebooks and other electronic resources online
- Request materials
Online journals are not included in the catalog, and users are not able to search for specific articles using the
catalog. If you're trying to find articles, we recommend:
Keyword searches
Keywords are the words or phrases you use to search for information for your assignment. They represent the key ideas
in your research topic.
Customizing your Keyword search
Asterisk
Replacing a word ending with an asterisk (known as
truncation) allows different forms of a word to be
searched for simultaneously.
Example: searching
human* will return words that begin with human, like
humans,
humanity, etc.
Question Mark
Replacing a single letter in a word with a question mark (known as a
wildcard) allows different forms
of a word to be searched for simultaneously.
Example: searching
wom?n will return results for
woman and
women
AND, OR, AND NOT
Words like AND, OR, and AND NOT (known as
Boolean Operators) can be used to apply limits to search
results.
AND returns sources containing all search terms. It narrows your results.
Example: searching
health AND insurance will return sources containing
both "health" and "insurance"
OR returns sources containing any search terms. It broadens your results, and is best used with
related terms.
Example: searching
children OR juveniles will return sources containing
either "children" or "juveniles"
AND NOT excludes sources containing the search terms. It narrows your results.
Example: searching
Washington AND NOT DC will return sources without "
DC"
if you want articles about the state, not the capital
Near
Inserting the word "near" (known as
proximity) can specify words close to each other, in any order.
Example: searching
California near university will return sources where "California" and "
university"
appear
close together in the text
Title searches
When searching for known titles, be sure to omit initial articles such as "A", "An", or "
The." This is because the
library catalog ignores these initial articles when using a title search.
Example:
The Sun Also Rises
The Catcher in the Rye
A Tale of two cities
NOTE: Keyword searches do not omit these articles. If you are unsure of a title it is often helpful
to try a keyword search.
Author searches
When searching for a specific author, you must type the last name first. If you know the author’s first name, include
it after the last name: Last Name, First Name.
Example:
Smith, John
Item not checked in?
Try OhioLINK
If an item isn't checked in, you can search other libraries in Ohio, and request items for delivery to your library within days.
You may search the OhioLINK catalog directly at https://olc1.ohiolink.edu/, or select the OhioLINK button from within the catalog.
How to use OhioLINK
- Find an item in the OhioLINK catalog
- Click the Request button
- Select State Lib Ohio as your instutition from the pull-down list of member libraries
- Log in with your last name and the last nine digits of your library barcode
- Select a pick-up location for the book to be delivered to
When the book is ready to be picked up, you will be notified at the e-mail address that you specified in your library
account. Depending on location, OhioLINK requests may take over 3 business days for delivery.
You may also monitor the progress of OhioLINK requests by logging into your library account.
Try WorldCat
If an item isn't available through OhioLINK, you can search libraries worldwide for
delivery through Interlibrary Loan. Delivery may take over a week. You may search the
WorldCat Catalog directly at worldcat.org.
My Library Account
Library users can log into their library accounts online to:
- Renew items
- View due dates for items currently checked out
- View the status of library requests
- View current fines or fees
How to login
You may login to your library account by clicking the
My Account button on the
library homepage or
library catalog homepage.
- All library users must use their last name and the last nine digits of their library barcode number.