Oscar Basics

OSCAR Basics Author & Title Searching & a little bit more . . .

Start at the library homepage: http://www.scu.edu/library/

This is the Title Search screen.

Let’s look up a book entitled The Man Behind the Microchip .

Type in the first few words of the title, but you can leave off articles, like The . . . An . . .A

If the title is unique, you will be looking at something like this.

This is an OSCAR full record for a BOOK.

Let’s examine it a little more closely.

All the basic information you would need to put in the References section of your research paper is in the first few fields of the record, above the colored bar.

To actually put your hands on the book, though, look at the information below the colored bar.

LOCATION tells you where you need to go or, sometimes, what you will need to do, to get the book.

Most of the books you can check out, take home, will be found in the 2 locations mentioned here.

Main Stacks Lower Level is where you can browse the shelves.

ARS Main Stacks are books in our large storage area called the ARS. Extra copies, older books, less-used books, are generally kept in there.

To get a book from the ARS, click on that red button, put in your name, and, in 5-10 minutes, you can pick it up at the Circulation Desk on the 1 st floor.

If you want THIS book, you need to notice that the only AVAILABLE copy is in the Main Stacks Lower Level .

So, you’d better write down that call number (the WHOLE THING) and go down to the Lower Level .

The other 2 copies are checked out. They are DUE on the dates given there.

Let’s move on to AUTHOR searching. This is a bit tricky for several reasons.

Let’s move on to AUTHOR searching. This is a bit tricky for several reasons. There are a lot of common surnames.

Let’s move on to AUTHOR searching. This is a bit tricky for several reasons. There are a lot of common surnames. Even names that seem obvious often have variant spellings.

Let’s move on to AUTHOR searching. This is a bit tricky for several reasons. There are a lot of common surnames. Even names that seem obvious often have variant spellings. It’s very easy to misspell someone’s name.

Let’s move on to AUTHOR searching. This is a bit tricky for several reasons. There are a lot of common surnames. Even names that seem obvious often have variant spellings. It’s very easy to misspell someone’s name. Authors can be very prolific . . .imagine how many books we have by Shakespeare . . .

How about the author Eva Hoffman?

This time choose Author from the search options.

This is the Author search screen.

Notice the examples and advice?

Notice the examples and advice? Examples More examples

Notice the examples and advice? Advice More advice

Following those examples & advice, type in the author’s name, last name first.

We find out there are TWO Eva Hoffman’s in OSCAR.

You have to decide for yourself!

Often you can tell the person you want by the titles of the books.

Although you can tell the LOCATIONS and CALL NUMBERS from this short browsing display . . .

If you really want the books, you still need to find out if they are AVAILABLE or checked out or …

So, you need to click on an individual book title.

Let’s look at the first one.

Not to worry. You have options!

You could go to the Circulation Desk & ask to have the book recalled from that person and held for you.

But, it would take at least a week for you to actually get it that way.

The better option is to click on the Search LINK+ button.

You are now looking at a record for the same book but in a different catalog . . . the LINK+ catalog.

LINK+ is a catalog representing the collections of about 50 different libraries, including SCU.

There is a mix of college/university and public libraries.

It is very easy to borrow a BOOK using LINK+.

Just click on the REQUEST THIS ITEM button.

You need to identify your institution using the pulldown menu.

Then you will need to put in your name, as it appears on your ACCESS card.

And then the number below the BARCODE on the BACK of your ACCESS card, no spaces.

Most books come in 2-3 days, but it can take longer.

If you can’t wait, and you are willing to travel . . .

You can see which libraries in LINK+ have the book

19 LINK+ libraries have copies of this book.

Several Bay Area public libraries have it

including Santa Clara City, which is very close by.

Most of the libraries in the LINK+ system allow you to use your ACCESS card to borrow books in person.

Click on the hotlink of the library’s name to see the status of their copy of the book to make sure it is available.

You can use LINK+ to borrow books and some media, DVDs, but not magazines or journals.

Let’s return to OSCAR now for a few more points.

From this main OSCAR screen, you can connect directly to LINK+ and search it as you would OSCAR.

You can also look yourself up and see what you have checked out, renew your books, find out the status of your LINK+ request.

There’s a lot more to learn about OSCAR. Explore on your own. Ask questions of the staff working at the START HERE desk in the library. Check out other slideshows like this by clicking on Tutorials on the library homepage, http://www.scu.edu/library/

Oscar Basics

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Oscar Basics