Using the SOUTHcat Catalog

To Find Books on your Topic:

• Consult the USA Catalog (the first link on the left of the library homepage) using a subject or keyword search.
• If you need help doing this read the instructions below or consult a reference librarian--460-7025 or webref@jaguar1.usouthal.edu
• Copy the location and call number of the book you want.
• University Library Bookstacks

  A - HB; 3rd Floor North (new)
  HC - N; 4th Floor North (new)
  NA - Z; 4th Floor South (old)
  

Other Locations:
Alabama/Gulf Coast - Circ. Desk
Gov. Docs. - 2nd Floor South
Instructional Media Center or IMC 1st Floor North
Reference - 2nd Floor North
PETAL - 3rd Floor South
Reserve - Circ Desk

Status messages you might see

• Locate the book. Additional books on your subject will be shelved in the same call number area. Also check the Reference area with this call number for related reference books.

WHAT is the Catalog?

SOUTHcat, the University of South Alabama Libraries Catalog, contains database records for books, magazines, journals, newspapers, videos, CDs, DVDs, government documents, maps, musical scores and some microfilm and microfiche collections owned by the Libraries: the Biomedical(Baugh Biomedical, on campus, the Medical Center and Children & Women's Hospital), the Business Library and the University Library. Also included are materials which are waiting to be ordered, on order or in the process of being cataloged.

SOUTHcat DOES NOT contain journal or magazine articles or article citations, although you can find out which journals and magazines we subscribe to and which dates we own. It also has only very few items from the USA Archives.

Catalog Video Tutorials

When you enter the catalog you will have the choice of several types of searches and a way to set specific limits before you begin your searches.

1. Author, Title and Subject Searches --Look for items with an exact match to your search words in the author or title or subject field. It performs the search from left to right so the words you type must be the first words in that field. Use this search when looking for an item when you know one of the following:

• author (last name first) or actor, editor, composer, performing artist, film director, etc.
  • dickinson emily
  • x malcolm
  • gogh vincent van (non-English names are tricky!)
• title do not use a, an, or the (or equivalents in other languages) at the beginning, but you must use them in the middle
  • wind in the willows
  • chosen
  • old man and the sea
• Library of Congress or MESH (medical) authorized subject heading. Only certain words are authorized!
  • cookery (not cookbook)
  • world war--1914-1918 (not world war I)
• journal title
  • journal of the atomic scientists
• call number use this to browse for items shelved near a book you have.

2. Keyword (AND with Relevance ) Search--A keyword search looks for words or phrases anywhere in a record, not just in one specific field. All search words must show up someplace in the records retrieved. Check the long view if you don't see your words.

• Select the most important words in your topic. Do not use little words, only KEY (essential) words.
• Use quotation marks around phrases:
  • "eating disorders"
  • "slave narratives"
  • "physiology comparative"
• Use the question mark ? to truncate (to shorten in order to include plurals and various endings):
  • psycholog? adolescen?
  • "mass media" violen? child?
    
• Your may change the return order to most recent first if you need current information

3. Advanced Boolean Search -- a keyword search that allows for more sophisticated search strategies.

Use Boolean operators, AND, OR and NOT to broaden or narrow your searches:

• continue to use quotes and question mark as in the keyword search
• internet AND writing (narrows your search to items having BOTH words)
• "animal rights" AND law
• viper? OR constrictor? (broadens your search to records that have either one of these words.)
• history AND (english OR british) both narrows and broadens in the same search. Use the ( ) parentheses for the OR search if you use both AND and OR.

To make the best use of this search follow this process:

• Type words which describe one of your concepts in the first box
• Select "any of these" (equivalent of OR operator)
• Select the database field you want the words to be found in or "Keyword Anywhere."
• Choose "AND"

Repeat these steps for your second concept and its synonyms in the second set of boxes.
Repeat the same steps if you have a third concept.
Click the"Set More Limits" button if you want to limit your keyword search by location, date, format, etc.