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Finding Books & Media
LEO
LEO library catalog is the place to find books, videos, and government publications in libraries at JMU.
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| a videotape | search for your topic and use the pulldown menu to select Video/Film |
| to find a journal in Carrier Library or online | search Periodical Locator for the title of the journal, not the article |
| to see a list of books as they appear on the shelf | click on the call number of a book |
| more books on your subject | click on a subject heading for a book on the topic |
| to pick up any ending of a word | type an asterisk (*) after the root (adolescen*) |
| to find out where a book is located | check the STACK GUIDE |
WorldCat
WorldCat is a huge database containing practically every book and videotape ever published. Search WorldCat when you need to do a thorough search. If you find items not owned by JMU libraries, you may borrow them through Interlibrary Loan by filling out an electronic request. The Interlibrary Loan Office is located on Second Floor of Carrier Library.
Evaluating Books
When using LEO or WorldCat, it is important for you to evaluate the books you find. Following are some criteria you can use to evaluate a book simply by looking at the information in LEO or WorldCat:
- How recent is the date of publication?
- In some cases, currency is very important.
- Does the book have a bibliography (references)?
- This may help determine whether the book is scholarly or not. The bibliography is also helpful in that it will lead you to other sources.
- What are the subject headings the book is listed under?
- In cases where the title is not very descriptive, the subject headings indicate what the book is about.
- In some cases, currency is very important.
