In this Shelf Talk consumer health series, we’ve covered a variety of ways of accessing health information through Library databases, but what about the Library’s bread and butter, materials in the online catalog? Don’t worry, we’ve got you. In addition to discovering much of the material in some of our databases, you’ll find hundreds of health-related books, audiobooks, music CDs, and DVDs in the online catalog.
To access The Seattle Public Library’s online catalog from your own device, sign in with your library card number and PIN, then navigate to the online catalog.
Once you’re in the Library’s online catalog, you have a few options. You can start with a simple keyword search, try a more specific subject search, look for a list compiled by other users and librarians, or construct a more complex advanced search.
Keyword
With a keyword search, simply think of a topic, enter a word or words, for example “anxiety and kids” and enter the search by pressing enter or clicking on the image of the magnifying glass. You’ll likely have many results, including children’s books, eBooks, music CDs, and articles in databases. This is where the filtering options on the left hand side of the screen come in handy. You can filter the results by format, content, audience, published date, and so on. Once you figure out your needs and select the filters, you’ll have a range of materials to choose from.
Subject
Subjects are applied to Library materials in the cataloging process to describe generally what the material is about. Most likely you won’t know the subjects off-hand, though you can make a guess and enter a subject into the search bar, and select “subject” from the drop-down menu, replacing keyword.
My strategy is to do a keyword search as mentioned above, find an item that seems to be what I’m looking for, and then look at the subject that was used to describe it. You can find those by going into the page for the item, scrolling down, and looking on the right hand side, you’ll see “Subject Headings” with one or more listed. For the example of “anxiety and kids” you’ll find the subject heading is more precisely “anxiety in children” or “worry in children.” You can either enter a relevant subject into the search as I mentioned, or go ahead and click on the link. Either way, you’ll be taken to a list of materials that share this subject. From these results you can go ahead and filter by format, published date, and so on. Sometimes you can see there are related headings and go ahead and search all of them to see what else you’ll find.
A trick I use is to look at how the subject heading is constructed, and add or remove from it to find what I want. You might have something like “anxiety in children,” and add “juvenile fiction” and search “anxiety in children – juvenile fiction” to see what’s available that is specifically in a kids story book. This can be hit and miss, but is a good trick to know.
Lists
Sometimes you want to see what resources on a topic others have gathered, especially if it’s a topic that isn’t necessarily going to come up through search results, or you can’t figure out the right keywords or subject headings. You search these through the main search bar in the catalog, just select “List” from the dropdown menu. You might search for “kids anxiety” or “children stay at home.”
The results include lists from any library that uses BiblioCommons, library users, and staff, so be aware that some lists could include material that isn’t available to you. Maybe you’ll find the perfect list of how to keep kids happy and healthy during a pandemic, with music recommendations, cookbooks, and picture books on anxiety. You’ll never be able to find that particular mix of materials with a subject heading or keyword search.
Advanced Search
While it might seem intimidating, the advanced search feature is simply applying the search filters used on results from keyword and subject searches before the search instead of after the search. It’s a matter of whether or not you know how you want to limit a search, if you want something very specific, or if you plan to browse and want a broader set of results. Advanced Search is good for limiting things like format, language, and location beforehand, and can allow for a more complex search term query.
You’ve done it! These are the basics for using The Seattle Public Library’s online catalog about as well as your trusty community librarian to search for healthcare topics!
Please be sure to contact us through our Ask Us reference question platform with any questions you may have. Be well.
This post is part of our Staying Healthy with Your Library series featuring online consumer health resources available from The Seattle Public Library. Read our previous posts on the Proquest Consumer Health database, ConsumerLab.com, Consumer Reports for health products, Consumers’ Checkbook, and the LGBTQ History & Culture database. Databases require a library card number and PIN for remote access.
~ posted by Mychal L.
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