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Essentials of Library Research

Helps you define your topic, find books and articles, evaluate the information you find, and cite your sources.

About the Library Catalog

The University of Michigan Library has millions of books and media. To find the best resources for your research, you search or browse the library’s catalog for our collection of books, journals, DVDs, music and musical scores, electronic resources, and more. 

How to Search the U-M Library Catalog

Basic Catalog Search Tips

 

 
  • Use quotation marks to search for exact phrases (“climate change”) when using the default keyword search.

  • There are no words that are excluded from searching. Every word will be searched. For example, if the words "a, an, the" are in your search, the catalog will look for those specific words.

  • You can use AND or OR (in all-caps) to ensure that both terms must be in the results, or that one or the other term may be in the results.  

  • If you know what title or author you are looking for, or have other specialized limiters like date or language, you can use the advanced search option to the right of the search box.