Finding Stuff in the Library: A Cheat Sheet for 1133 Students
Geoff Stacks

To find a book:
1. Go to http://library.du.edu.

2. Click on PEAK: The Library Catalog.

3. Search for your book. You can search by author, title, keyword, etc.

4. If you find a book you want, go on to the next step. If you do not find the book you need, skip down to #7.

5. If you see a book that looks interesting, click on the title. Youll get the following information:
a. A table of contents: Thatll help you decide if this is a book you really need.
b. Status: Look under status. If it says available, youre in luck. You can check it out. If it has a due date, then someone else has checked out that book. Skip down to #7 to find out how to get that book.
c. Call number: This will help you find it in the library. If you dont understand how it works, ask a librarian. Theyre friendly and helpful.
d. Location: Where in the library? And which library? Most books are in Penrose, but some books are in other parts of the campus.

6. Get the call number, find the book in the library, and check it out.

7. If you dont find the book youre looking for, that means that DU does not have that book. You now have two options:
a. Prospector: If DU doesnt have a book you need, you can sometimes get it from nearby libraries. There should be a Search Prospector button on the right hand side of the screen. Or you can go to library.du.edu and click on Prospector. Find a local library that has it and request it.
b. Interlibrary Loan: If our library and Prospector dont have the book you need, go library.du.edu and click on Interlibrary Loan under Services. Log in, fill out the form, and the DU library will look for your book in libraries across the US and, if they find it, send it to you.

To find a periodical (journal, magazine, newspaper):
1. Go to the librarys main website: http://library.du.edu.

2. Click on Database and Article Search.

3. Pick a database to search. (I recommend Academic Search Premier.)
a. If you know the name of the of database you want to use, go to Alphabetical List of Databases and click on the first letter. (For example, click on A for Academic Search Premier.)
b. You can also search for databases within a certain field (e.g., psychology, astronomy, literature, etc.). Just go to Search by Category and select your choice. The website will then list the databases in that field.
c. Do not limit your search to Full Text only.

4. Once you have chosen a database, you can start searching.

Tips:
a. Dont forget about Boolean operators (and, or, near) and truncation symbols.
b. When you get your results, you can look next to See: All Results and click on Journals or Magazines or Newspapers.
c. Look at Narrow Results by Subjects on the left. You can select results based on a certain subject.

5. If you find an article that looks interesting, click on the title and read the abstract.

6. If you want that article, scroll down to Check Article Linker. Click on that link to see if you can electronically download the full text.

7. If full text is not available, you still have two options:

a. Find the article here in the library.
i. Write down the name of the journal, the volume, issue, date, and page numbers of the article you want.
ii. Go back to the librarys main page (library.du.edu) and click on PEAK: The Library Catalog.
iii. Instead of Keyword, scroll down to Periodical Title and select that option.
iv. Type in the name of the journal or magazine or newspaper youre looking for.
v. If our library has that periodical, write down the call number for the periodical and find where it is in the library. Ask a librarian for help if you need it.
vi. Once you find the periodical, look for the volume and issue you need.
vii. You cant check out periodicals from the library, but you can photocopy the article you need.

b. Request article through Interlibrary Loan.
i. If our library doesnt have that periodical, you can order a copy through interlibrary loan. Go to library.du.edu.
ii. Click on Interlibrary Loan under Services.
iii. Log in, fill out the form, and the DU library will look for your article in libraries across the US and, if they find it, send it to you.

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