-> How to: Search in the TUJ Library Catalog

Through the TUJ library, you have access to approximately 50,000 physical books and over 2.5 million ebooks.  This page explains how to locate and access all of them through the library catalog.

Use the library catalog to search for physical books and ebooks available to TUJ students and faculty:

After running a search, you can use the filters on the left-hand side to limit the results to Resource Type = Books and Availability = Online or Availability = In the Library.  This will narrow your results list to just ebooks or just physical books.

After selecting your filters, don't forget to click "Apply Filters" at the bottom of the list.

The TUJ Library organizes books by subject on the library shelves.  To accomplish this, we use an organization system called the Library of Congress Classification (LCC) system to assign a "call number" to each book.  The call number is essentially the book's address on the shelves.

When you find physical books through the library catalog, you'll see an availability statement that tells you whether or not the book is currently available and where it's located within the library.

In this example, the book is available and it's location is "Japan Campus Library Stacks".  This means it is in the main shelving area of the TUJ library.

The call number is the string of letters and numbers found inside the parentheses: PS3572.O5 C3 1998

The library shelves are organized first alphabetically, and then numerically.  To find this book, you would need to go to the P section of the main stacks, then find the PS section, then within the PS section look for the 3000s, and then look specifically for PS3572.  After that, the remaining portions of the call number will help you drill down to the exact item you're looking for.

Watch this short tutorial explaining how to find a book using its call number:

You can use this interactive library map to figure out which shelving area to go to once you have a call number for a specific book:

The ebooks that you can find in the library catalog are actually located in many different databases and external platforms.  The catalog is how you find them, but to access the content you will have to go outside the catalog environment.

Ebooks in your search results will have a link icon and the word "Online" instead of an availability statement with a location and call number:

Click on the title to open the full catalog record, and look for the section labeled "View Online":

This section will contain one or more options for accessing the item online.  In this example, the ebook is available through the Wiley Online Library and is licensed for unlimited users.  Some ebooks have limitations on the number of concurrent users, so be sure to pay close attention to any notes in the record about licensing.

To access this ebook, you would then click on "Wiley Online Library" to go to the external platform.  In most cases you will be directed to a Temple University login page where you will need to log in using your TU NetAccess ID and password.  After logging in, you'll be redirected automatically to the ebook.

Note that not all ebook platforms are the same, and not all ebooks offer the same features and options.  In some cases you will be able read online in a browser, in other cases you'll be able to download the entire book or individual chapters.