From the library's Welcome screen select Go to the Library Catalog by clicking the left mouse button anywhere on that phrase. Follow underlined blue hypertext phrases to do additional searches.
Choose the type of search you wish to conduct by clicking on one of the options listed on the Online Public Access Catalog screen.
TIP
Begin your search of the online catalog with a word search to find the maximum number of matches in the catalog.WORDS in title, subject, or contents - This type of search is the most flexible because it finds your search terms in the title, contents, and subject headings fields.
TIP
Two types of screens will appear after your search request is processed: a single book record, or a list.Example: camping
Finds 73 titles in the library's catalog
TIP
To view a complete list of items, press the PAGE DOWN key, the down arrow key, or click on the scroll bar's down arrow.You may type OR or NOT to narrow the search. Parenthesis ( ) may be used to group terms together.
Example: camping not fiction
Finds 35 titles in the library's catalog
TIP
To view the bibliographic record of a title within the list, click on underlined title.Example: employment or labor
Finds 191 titles in the library's catalog.
Example: (employment or labor) and Tennessee
Finds 4 titles in the library's catalog.
Example: employment or labor Tennessee without the parenthesis will find 120 titles.
Example: mars and venus
Finds 5 titles in the library's catalog.
AUTHOR - Follow the onscreen instructions. Type the author's last name followed by the first name. You do not have to use a comma between names. You may also enter only the last name.
TIP
If the cursor is not in the search box, move the mouse pointer in the box, and click the left mouse button.Example: Carter Richard
Finds only 1 title in the library's catalog and displays the item's bibliographic record.
TIP
To view the entire book record, press the PAGE DOWN key, the down arrow key, or click on the scroll bar's down arrow.Example: Hambly Barbara
Finds 4 titles in the library's catalog.
TIP
Click the EXTENDED DISPLAY button to display the holding library and call number.TITLE -- Type the exact words of the title or a portion of the title. Omit initial articles (a, an, the) and punctuation marks.
Example: mars and venus
Finds 3 titles in the library's catalog.
Example: Angela
Finds 7 titles in the library's catalog.
CALL NUMBER - Use this search if you know the call number. Do not type the prefixes (LA, LP, J, R, or YA) used to designate the different collections within the library.
Advance search techniques
TIP You may initiate a new search from a list screen or a book record by entering the new search terms in the search box. Change the type of search by clicking the down arrow (located on the right side of the "You Searched" box) and select another type of search from the drop down menu. These boxes are located beneath the set of blue buttons in the upper portion of the screen.
SUBJECT - Type the exact subject heading as assigned by the Library of Congress. If you are not sure of the subject heading, type the topic and see what happens.
Example: dog
Produces a list of "dog" subject headings and provides a see reference for DOGS.
TIP
Click on the underlined word DOGS to begin browsing the list of subject headings for dogs.Example: United States
Finds 1,416 subject headings used for the topic United States.
TIP
Scroll down the list of subject headings using the scroll bar or click the next page button until you find the subject heading that fits the topic you are searching for.
WILDCARD SEARCH - Choose the type of search to be conducted, then type at least three letters of the word followed by the * sign.
Example of a title search: Ang*
Finds 78 titles that begin with Ang
LIMIT / SORT - A word search of the topic United States history will find 2,210 titles. You "sort results by year" or you may limit the search by language, type of publication, by years of publication, and by location in the library.
Example: Limit the United States history search to titles published after 1995, sort by year, and limit to words in the subject field. The limited search will narrow results from 2,210 titles down to 16.
Collection Notes
Call number prefixes J, LP, R, and 92 indicate special collections within the Franklin branch library.
The Genealogy and Local History Room is located on the ground floor of the historic Five Points Post Office Building. Special collections include:
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Williamson County Public Library System
Revision Date: 4/8/1999