Bridges Library Catalog
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Table of Contents

• Help with Searching
  
  • How does the Quick Search box work?
  • How do I know which search to use?
  • I retrieved too many items with my search.
  • I found too few items with my search.
  • I didn't get anything!
  • I want to limit my search but am confused by the "Material Type" options.
• Viewing Your Results/Locating Materials
  
  • How do I know which library owns the book I need?
  • The book I want says the status is "Library Use Only". Does that mean I can't borrow it?
  • My instructor wants us to use recently published materials. How can I tell from my results list when each item was published without having to look at each one individually?
• Marking Records/Making Lists
  
  • How can I print/download/email a list of items from the catalog?
  • I marked some records but I don't see the option to print or email my list?
• Your Library Account
  
  • How do I renew my books?
  • Why won't it let me renew my books?
• Saving Searches
  
  • Can I save a search and re-run it later?
  • Can I get a list of new library materials matching my search?

To help you decide which search option to use, the different types of searches available, descriptions of what they search, examples of searches, and search tips for each are listed below.

Title Search

Type as much or as little of the TITLE as you want, for example:

• tale of two cities
• tale of tw
• journal of american history
• journal of american hist

If the title is not found, try removing the initial article and rerun the query.

Type a "pipe" character ("|") at the end of your search phrase to limit the search to the exact title entered. For example:

• science| (finds one word title: science)
• science (finds titles beginning with science)

Author Search

Type the LAST NAME of an author (including editor, joint author, composer or performer), followed by a comma and the first name (optional), for example:

• Kingston
• Morrison, Toni
• garcia marquez, g
• john paul ii

To search for a company, organization, government agency or conference, type as much of the EXACT NAME as you wish, beginning with the first word, for example:

• african methodist episcopal church
• conference on research in income and w
• national institutes of health

Author and Title Search

Step 1) Author

a) Type the Author's last name first (including editor, composer, etc.), for example:

• shakespeare
• shakespeare, william
• bach, j

b) You can also search for organizations, conferences, etc. as authors, for example:

• United States Congress
• African Methodist Episcopal Church

Step 2) Title

Type as many or as few of the words in the title as you want, for example:

• collected works
• venice
• sonata no. 6

Series Title Search

Type as much or as little of the SERIES TITLE as you want, for example:

• new international commentary on old testament
• new dir
• new directions in higher education

If your search is unsuccessful, try a KEYWORD search.

Search by Number (call #, etc.)

Type as much of the LC/NLM CALL NUMBER as you want. For example:

• PS 1999H25Z98
• qc793.3J3 1998
• RA 1151
• LB

Type as much of the DEWEY CALL NUMBER as you want. For example:

• 025 J826a
• 980.5 j826
• 353.9

Search here for locally assigned call numbers used for audiovisual, curriculum and special collection materials. Type as much of the LOCAL CALL NUMBER as you want. For example:

• C035
• Thesis T 3045
• Film Book 0001 1987
• micf 012
• MV 95 e
• video no 125

Search here for standard numbers such as ISBN, ISSN, LCCN, publisher's numbers (music and sound recordings), technical reports, etc. You'll need to type in the entire number, for example:

• 039303321x [ISBN - do not use punctuation]
• 0028-9604 [ISSN]
• 88-102174 [LCCN]
• TT 110 [Music publisher's number]
• 123.2 [Sound recording number]

Search here by OCLC accession number. Type as much of the OCLC NUMBER as you want. For example:

• 143478648

LC Subject Search

Search here for items about people, topics, or events. These subject headings are established by the Library of Congress. If you are unsure of the heading for a subject, try a KEYWORD search.

Type as much of the LC SUBJECT as you want. For example:

• sports for women
• missouri
• missouri hist
• lincoln abraham
• Bible. n.t. mark commentaries
• art, chinese
• art chinese

Children's Subject Search

Search here for children's literature subjects. These subject headings are established by the Library of Congress. If you are unsure of the heading for a subject, try a KEYWORD search.

Type as much of the CHILDREN'S SUBJECT as you want. For example:

• picture book
• Baseball fiction
• lincoln abraham
• Family Life
• Pets
• fairy tales

MEDICAL Subject Search

These subject headings are established by the National Library of Medicine. If you are unsure of a subject, try a KEYWORD search or a Library of Congress Subject search.

Type as much of the MEDICAL SUBJECT as you want. For example:

• lung neoplasms
• animals, laboratory
• heart anatomy
• surgery, operative adverse effects

Journal, Magazine & Newspaper Title Search

Type as much or as little of the EXACT TITLE as you want. For example:

• journal of counseling psychology
• journal of counseling psy
• journal of the philosophy of sport

Note: This search DOES NOT find individual articles. To find individual articles, use a periodical index.

If your search is unsuccessful, try a TITLE or KEYWORD search.

1. Use the word 'AND' to do a keyword search on more than one concept. The computer will look for items that have both terms in the record. 'AND' allows the terms to be anywhere within the record and in any order (case does not matter).

   Example: television and children

   
   
2. Use the 'Limit/Sort' or 'Modify Search' button to narrow to a particular publication year or years, material type, language, etc. These tools allow you to restrict the results you see to match whatever criteria you input. For example, you can have the computer rerun a search on World War II but limit the results to videotapes on the topic.
   
   
3. Do a Subject search instead of a keyword search LC Subject Searches utilize a standardized list of terms used to describe the topic of an item. Medical and Children's Subject Searches also can be used to search for materials in those specialized areas.
   
   
4. When viewing a record for an item you retrieved, check the 'LC Subject' field to find more specific headings/terms. Scroll down through the record of an item you retrieved until you see the LC Subject area. Here you will find suggestions for other subject terms you may use. A search for materials on the Vietnam War, for example, will yield books with the following subject headings/terms:

   Vietnamese Conflict, 1961-1975 -- United States

   Vietnamese Conflict, 1961-1975 -- Moral And Ethical Aspects

   
   
5. Do a Title search instead of a keyword search. Sometimes you can find books with titles that begin with your search term, e.g. Management. If this does not work, perform a keyword search and type 't:' in front of a word to search for that word anywhere within the title of a work. This should also produce fewer results than a keyword search.

   Example: t:France

   Results:

   • France against herself: a perceptive study of France's past, her politics, and her unending crises
   • An introduction to seventeenth century France.
   • Chardin and the still-life tradition in France / Gabriel P. Weisberg with William S. Talbot.

   
   
6. Use the word 'NOT' to omit keywords. The computer will look for items that mention the first term but omit any items that mention the term after the 'NOT'.

   Example: South America NOT Brazil

   
   
7. Use a proximity operator. Use the word 'within' and a number to specify proximity of words to one another, in any order.

   Example: employment within 3 discrimination

1. Do a Keyword search instead of a LC Subject, Medical Subject or Children's Subject search. A keyword search covers more fields, such as title, notes, etc.
   
   
2. Use the word 'OR' to search on variations of a concept. To give the computer more choices, use 'OR' to link two words with the same meaning, either of which would satisfy your needs.

   Example:

   deaf or hearing impaired

   Greek or Latin

   
   
3. Use an asterisk* to truncate endings of words. Have the computer search for variations of a root word by adding an asterisk to the end of the word. For example, type train* to search for training, trainers, train, trains, etc.
   
   

1. Check your spelling. Unfortunately, the computer won't do this for you. You can use an asterisk * at the end of a word if you know the root of a word.

   Example: Dostoevsk* (will find Dostoevsky or Dostoevskii)

   
   If you want the computer to fill in more than 5 letters, use two asterisks:

   Example: totalit** (for a search on totalitarianism)

   
   
2. If you are not using a keyword search, try it. This is the broadest type of search you can do.
   
   
3. Make sure you are doing the correct type of search. Trying to search for an author in the journal name field will not yield you the results you probably wanted. Check that you have selected the correct type of search.
   
   
4. Do a simple search on fewer keywords. Try simplifying your search by limiting the number of words you are stringing together with the word 'and'. For example, instead of 'personnel and training and computer-assisted instruction and evaluation', try one of the following searches:

   'computer-assisted instruction and evaluation'

   'training and computer-assisted instruction'

   
   
5. Try to search in the entire MOBIUS catalog to see if another library has the material(s) you want. It's possible that your library does not own the materials you need. In this case, you can search what is called the MOBIUS catalog to see if one of almost 60 libraries in Missouri owns the material. If you can find it in the MOBIUS catalog, the material can then be shipped to your library for you to use. For information on MOBIUS, follow this link. Select the 'Search MOBIUS' button to enter the MOBIUS catalog.

Thesis or Manuscript: Thesis includes master's theses and doctoral dissertations. Manuscripts may include authored works, correspondence and other documents related to an individual or group. Manuscripts are often kept in separate collections.

Electronic Resource: A resource such as a CD-ROM, online database, etc. As a rule, regular music CDs are grouped under Audio, Music rather than Electronic Resource. Electronic books are grouped under the E-Book material type.

Video: Includes formats such as VHS, laserdisc, DVD, etc.

Archival Material: Collections of documents, photographs, media, etc. that are the official records of an organization or institution. Archival materials are usually kept in separate collections.

	COV		Covenant Theological Seminary
	FONT		Fontbonne University
	HS		Harris-Stowe State University
	K-GS		Kenrick-Glennon Theological Seminary
	LU		Lindenwood University
	MBU		Missouri Baptist University 

1. Do a search and have the search results on your screen.
2. Place a check mark in the box beside each item you want.
3. Press the 'Save Marked Records' button at the bottom of the page.
4. Continue to mark and save records on subsequent pages.
5. When ready to retrieve your list, press the 'Email/Save/Print' button on the button bar.
6. The screen that appears will provide options for emailing or saving the list. You may also display it on your screen and print it out.

You can renew any materials you have checked out by entering your library account. To do this, choose the option at the bottom of the main search screen labeled 'View Your Library Account'. Enter your full name, student number plus school code, and hit enter. This will allow you to retrieve a list of materials that you have checked out at the moment. You can choose to renew all materials from here or check the box next to only the ones you wish to renew.

There are a variety of reasons why the system could not let you renew your materials, for example:

• you have already renewed the material(s) the maximum times allowed
• the material has a hold placed on it and is needed by another patron
• the material is a MOBIUS item and is needed back at the owning library

If you are concerned you are receiving this message in error or want to investigate why the system will not allow you to renew, please contact a librarian at your library.

Yes, you can save a search in the Bridges Catalog and run it again at any time. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Choose the option at the bottom of the main search screen labeled 'View Your Library Account'. Enter your full name, student number plus school code, and hit enter. From the screen that says 'You are logged in ... as [your name]', choose 'Search the Catalog'.
2. Do a search as usual in the catalog.
3. Click on the 'Save your search?' button near the top of the screen.
4. Click on the 'Patron record' button near the top of the screen.
5. You will now see a 'Preferred Searches' button on your library account screen. If you click on this button, you will go to a list of your search(es) and can re-run a search at any time by choosing the 'Search' link next to a search.

Once you have saved a search, you can set the system up to email you a list of new records added to the Bridges Catalog each week. Please note that the list of new records may contain materials from any Bridges library. Also note that you must have a valid e-mail address in your library account in order to receive results; check with your librarian if you are not sure whether your library account contains your e-mail address.

To set up a search to e-mail results to you each week:

1. Log into your account via the 'View Your Library Account' option.
2. Select 'Preferred Searches'.
3. Click on the 'Mark for email' option next to the search you would like to receive weekly results for.

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