Click the Catalogs button in the navigation bar to the left. You will connect to a screen that contains the following:

• Quick Search - Enter your search here to find a book or video
• Information about the library
• Course reserves by course name
• Course reserves by instructor
• View your own library record
  
• Suggestions I have for the library
  
• Books I would like the library to acquire
  

You can search our catalog, find out what your instructor has on reserve, look at your library record to find out what you have checked out or what you've requested, and leave us messages, etc.

In LOIS, you can search (this is what we used to call 'look up') by title, author, subject, and keyword (also call number or ISBN, if you know one of these).

Words Search
This is the best place to start when you are looking for books on a topic. Using this search box, you can search by Words or Keyword. For example, you remember that there is a self-help book, you don't remember the author, and you can't figure out what the subject might be called except that it's a self-help book, and all you remember of the title is that it has the word 'zones' in it. So you connect to Clark State's catalog and click on Words. When you are asked to type in a word, type 'zones,' and up pops the record for the book "Your Erroneous Zones" by Wayne Dyer. This is just what you were looking for. You can also use the Words search with two terms; for example: you want to do your English 111 essay on drug abuse by athletes. If you type in athlete and drug, you'll get a quick list of 5 books on drug abuse by athletes. If you then scan the subjects listed on the individual record for each book, you'll probably come up with more ideas for subject searches. Like 'anabolic steroids.' LOIS is very powerful--and we're just scratching the surface.

Hint: you'll learn a lot about the system by just reading the screens or looking at the helps and hints that are linked on many of the pages.

Title Search
Click on title. Type in some or all of the title of the book, video or journal title you're looking for say, Seven Steps to Fearless Speaking. (You don't have to use capital letters, by the way. The catalog, like many other pages on the World Wide Web is not case sensitive. Unless otherwise indicated, use lower case.) This search takes you right to the library record for that book. Spend a little time looking at this screen. It gives you a lot of information about the book: the author, date of publication, etc., and the call number of that book in our library. It even tells you that the book is available (on the shelf) or when it is due back in the library.

LOIS will tell you if we have a book when you know the author, title or subject. LOIS can also tell you a lot more, too. For one thing, it will tell you if the book is on the shelf (Available) or checked out to somebody else (Due with a date). If you know the name of the author or the title of a specific book, use the TITLE or AUTHOR search. If you are looking for books on a subject, try WORDS first.

More on the LOIS screen:

• Reserve Lists. This feature tells you what your teacher has on reserve.
• View Your Own Library Record. Use this to see what you already have checked out, or if your OhioLINK book is on its way, or already waiting for you at the front desk. Click View Your Own Library Record to access this.

The next screen will ask you for your name, and then your barcode. If you don't have a barcode on your ID, ask for one at the front desk. Never walk away from the terminal leaving your record up on the screen. This is nobody's business but yours--always keep your record secure.

Updated: 17 February 2004