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Search for books, ebooks, journals, videos, etc. in our local libraries by using BearCat.
REMEMBER! Unlike database searching, which allows you to search both the item record and (in many cases) the full-text of documents, catalog searching limits the amount of information you can search to the item record. Sometimes this record is very detailed, including a summary of the item, reviews, a table of contents, and/or a sample chapter. Sometimes the record is less detailed, including only basic information such as the author of the item, the title, the year of publication, the publisher, and one or two subject headings. This means you need to approach a search for books differently than you would approach a search for articles. Here's how:
Step 1: Think about your topic and try an initial search. For example, you might be interested in researching the role that specific sneaker brands play in gang member identity and status. If you search for "Nike AND gang identity" or "sneakers AND gangs" in BearCat, you'll notice that you get 0 results.
Step 2: Don't give up! Go broader. If you broaden your search to "gangs AND united states" or just "gangs", you'll notice that you get 13 results and 27 results, respectively.
Step 3: Review the catalog record & choose physical items. Make sure to review all parts of the catalog record to determine whether or not the physical book will be worth retreiving (eBooks can be reviewed in their entirety online).
Step 4: Locate the physical item and review the table of contents & index. Once you have located the print book, two parts of the book will be very helpful in determining whether or not the book will be worth checking out for further review. The table of contents will provide you with a complete listing of chapters and the index will direct you to specific pages where your topic is addressed.
General Initiation Topics
Criticism of Works Covered
Can't find what you're looking for? Request books and articles through Interlibrary Loan. Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is available to all current students, staff, and faculty at NYIT. To avoid delays, always check the Library Catalog to see if we own the item prior to submitting ILL requests. For more information, call any NYIT Campus Library.
