Books
 
Books are accessible through CCBC Catonsville Library's online catalog. The librarians at the Information/Reference Desk will assist you in using the catalog.

Online Catalog Indexes
 
You can search for books or media software in the online catalog using the following indexes:

1. Authors, editors, etc. Includes authors, editors, composers, directors, conference names, corporate bodies, and other names which may be associated with the creation of a work. Personal names must be searched in the inverted form, e.g., Smith, John.

2. Titles Includes books and media software. Type as much or as little of the title as you want, beginning with the first word.

3. Subjects Includes Library of Congress subject headings and names as subject entries. Ask for assistance if you need it. Use the inverted form of a name when looking for something about a person. If your search does not work, try a keyword search or ask a librarian.

4. Keyword Type in any word (or words) of 3 letters or more to search in titles, authors, subjects, and contents notes. Boolean operators may be used. The search screen will explain your options.

5. Call number CCBC Catonsville Library call numbers are based on the Library of Congress classification system. Type at least the first four characters for a browse list in a general area.

Once you have a call number for a circulating book, use the following chart to locate it:

Call # begins with:  Go to this floor:   
A-F                         3 ^rd    
G-P                         4 ^th   
Q-Z                         5 ^th

Call numbers with the word Folio in them are located on special shelves on each floor.
 
Periodicals

Locating and using periodicals satisfactorily requires that you know methods of systematically finding information in them and that you know how a particular library arranges its periodicals. This library includes in its periodical collection all magazines, journals, and newspapers.

Locating Periodical Articles

In order to systematically locate periodical articles on a subject, it is necessary to consult a periodical index or abstract. Indexes and abstracts are located on the Main Floor in the Reference area or available online: Magazines, Journals & Newspapers

In either format, they allow you to find articles from many periodicals on the subject you are researching. Choose the index most appropriate for your topic.

Index entries always include:
author of the article (if named in the periodical)
title of the article
title of the periodical
volume number of the periodical
date of the periodical
page number(s) of the article

Records in the computer-based indexes also provide other data about the article, including a short summary (abstract).

Guides on how to use the computer databases are available in the Microcomputer Lab. For print indexes, guides are printed at the front of each volume.

The librarian can help you make the most effective use of the periodical indexes. Once you have determined which article you want and what periodical it is in, the next steps are to consult the Periodicals Holdings List to see if the Library owns the periodical, and then to locate it in either the current issues or older issues.
 
What This Library Owns
 
Periodicals at this Library: a list of electronic full-text & print magazines, journals, & newspapers.

You can also do a title search in the catalog to find periodical titles.

 Where Are They?
Periodicals are on the Third floor of the Library. Current issues (the most recent volume) are on the shelves in front of the Wilmer Room. Current newspapers are on the last row of shelving. Older issues are bound or on microfilm. Bound volumes are on shelves in front of the Conference Room, and the microforms are in cabinets at the end of the floor near the Periodical Services /Document Delivery Desk. All periodicals are in alphabetical order by title. Equipment for reading the microform and for making copies from it is located in the microform area. There is also a photocopier in the area. A library staff member is available to assist you in using the equipment and finding periodicals.

If the CCBC Catonsville Library does not own the periodical you need, we may be able to get a copy of the specific article you want through Interlibrary Loan.

The librarians can help you fill out the Interlibrary Loan request form. You may pick up the article at the Circulation Desk on the main floor of the library. Articles will be at least $.10 a page.

Pamphlets

Pamphlets are located in the Vertical File and are arranged in alphabetical order by subject. Each subject has a separate folder for materials and to speed up a pamphlet search, there is a list of these subjects on top of the file cabinets. This list, the Vertical File Index, contains a card for every subject, with notes to direct the user from general subjects to more specific subjects. For example, a pamphlet on many diseases is filed under "Diseases," whereas a pamphlet on a specific disease is filed under its own heading, e.g. "Cancer." Baltimore County and Baltimore City are filed directly, but all other counties and towns in Maryland are subdivisions of the subject "Maryland."

The annual reports are also part of the Vertical File, but are kept in a separate file cabinet. Here you will be able to find the most current annual report of most major U.S. corporations.

Media Software

The library has a multi-media collection, including videocassettes, 16mm films, slides, and sound recordings. Most of the video titles can be found in the online catalog, as well as other formats acquired since 1994. Use the card catalog file on the first floor to locate music recordings, and for older materials in other formats. Following is a sample catalog entry for a sound recording. Specific data will vary with the format, but catalog records for other materials will be similar.

Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilich, 1840-1893.
Romeo et Juliette (Fantasy-overture) 1981.
Record 1084       Bernstein, Leonard, 1918- [West Side Story. Selections]
Symphonic Dances from West Side story
/ Bernstein. Romeo and Juliet:
Overture fantasy/ Tchaikovsky [sound recording].
---New York: Vox Cum Laude, 1981.
1 sound disc (42 min.): 331/3 rpm,
stereo.; 12 in.
Vox Cum Laude:  VCL-9002.
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra; Robert
Shaw, conductor.
Program notes on container.

"Reserve" media materials are located at the Media Services Desk on the first floor. Other titles should be requested from the Desk staff, also, and will be provided from the storage area. Ask for titles by format and number, for example,"record 1084." The staff at the Media Services Desk will assist you with the equipment needed to use them. If you have a specific need for media software and cannot locate it, please ask the staff for assistance.