Finding Books
Books can provide in-depth coverage of a topic and thus are an important resource when you are conducting research.
When using a book in your research, try to find out who the author is--most books have some "About the Author" information at the back. Knowing the author's background, you can verify that he or she has expertise on your topic and is providing trustworthy information. Another indication that a book is scholarly and authoritative is the publisher. For example, a book from a university press such as Rutgers, Columbia, or Oxford would be considered scholarly. And be sure to look at the date when the book was published. In some areas, like literature, history, sociology, etc., an old book can be a great source. But if you are researching a scientific or medical topic where current information is vital, you should look for books that have been published relatively recently, say in the last five years.
How do I locate a book?
catalogUSMAI
catalogUSMAI, the library catalog for the University System of Maryland and affiliated institutions (USMAI), is the database you will use to locate materials including books (print and e-books), journals (print and online), newspapers (print and online), government publications (print and online), dissertations and theses, maps, videos, and sound recordings, which are located in the 16 libraries in the USMAI system.
You can search by keyword (words anywhere), author, title, or subject:
Options for obtaining materials from USMAI libraries
Location: Maryland
If you are a currently registered UMUC student and located in Maryland, you can request that circulating USMAI materials be sent to a USMAI library for you to pick up. You can also have materials sent to UMUC education centers in Waldorf, Shady Grove, and Dorsey Station, MD. For more information, see Using the Library Catalog.
Location: Continental U.S., Outside of Maryland
If you are a currently registered UMUC student
and you are located in the continental U.S., but not in Maryland, you can request
circulating USMAI materials and have them sent to your home address. For more information,
see Using the
Library Catalog.
Location: Outside of
Continental U.S.
If you are a currently registered UMUC student and you
are located overseas, you can search and find books in the USMAI catalog. You will
not be able to get a book shipped to an overseas location and you will not be able
to log in to a USMAI account. However, if you see a book that looks interesting you
can use DocumentExpress to request part of the contents (maximum 20%) of a book to
be copied and delivered to you electronically. The 20% restriction is due to copyright
limitations. Before you make your request, we would be happy to send you an electronic
copy of the table of contents or index of the book. For more information, please
see our guide to getting
items delivered outside the continental United States.
For more information on how to use the catalogUSMAI, please see our Using the Library Catalog tutorial.
E-Books
What are e-books?
E-books (electronic books) are books available online. The UMUC library provides e-books through several sources, including a library database called NetLibrary.
How do I access NetLibrary?
Getting Started
To search for an e-book using
UMUC's NetLibrary collection:
To see other sources and to learn more about finding e-books in general, see the information and guides available from our E-Books Collections Web page.
Technical Problems
If you have
any trouble accessing a library database, you may want to consult the Information
and Library Services Technical
Help page. You are also welcome to contact us if you have questions about accessing
a library resource. Please see our Ask
a Librarian page for contact options.