Have you ever tried to picture a library with no books? It’s kind of like a degree program without textbooks. In the university library, you can find all the books you need for your studies and research.
- What can I find with the WU Catalog?
- How do I search the WU catalog?
- Which books can I borrow, for how long, and how many at a time?
- Why is there no renew button in my library account?
- Video tutorial
If you want to know how to search in the WU Catalog, you can check out this video tutorial.
What can I find with the WU Catalog?
When you’re on the hunt for books and journals, your first stop should be the WU Catalog . It’s where you’ll find all the printed literature, as well as eBooks and eJournals.
And here’s the cool part: we’ve also got something called CatalogPLUS. It’s like the supercharged version of our regular catalog. It gives you much more results because it taps into over 300 million references and full-texts from our databases and open-access sources. Open access just means it’s free for everyone to use.
With CatalogPLUS, you can look up journal articles directly. However, it’s important to note that the complete collection of the WU library hasn’t been fully integrated into CatalogPLUS yet. Therefore, for more in-depth search for journal articles continue using databases.
The WU library offers both printed books and a substantial collection of eBooks. Another great place to start your search is the OBVSG Austrian Library Network Union Catalog, which enables you to search for literature across all academic libraries in Austria. And if you’re still haven’t found what you are looking for, you can try checking out libraries in other countries and ask for the book through inter-library lending.
How do I search the WU Catalog?
Here’s the best method for searching the WU Catalog: Enter the title, author, or topic, and you’ll receive a list of results. The filters on the right-hand side allow you to further refine your search, such as narrowing it down to books in English. You can also sort things according to your preferences, say, by author or publication year.
If you want to learn more about a hit from the results list, just click on the title of the publication. This will show you all the places in the library where you can find that item. It’s important to note that a single work is often accessible at multiple locations within the library. Additionally, the location within the building is shown in parentheses.
Let’s take a look at the example on the right. First, it’ll show you the library location, which means one of the libraries on campus. Then, you’ll see the shelfmark. That’s the number on the book’s spine, and it tells you exactly where to find it on the shelf. So, when you’re on the hunt for a book, always keep an eye out for that shelfmark!
Sometimes the description might have some extra details. The status lets you know if a book can be borrowed and how long you can keep it. But, there are times when the books aren’t available. In that case, you’ll only see the expected return date in the status.
If you see the message Currently not available for a book, it means you can’t borrow it right now. But don’t worry, you can often pre-order or reserve these books by logging in with your account details. Just keep in mind that you can’t do this for all books.
Check out the Orientation in the University Library Guide for more information on all library locations.
Have you ever wanted to narrow down your search results? Well, the WU Catalog has got you covered. You can search within different sub-catalogs. If you’re looking for textbooks, just search in the textbook collection, and you’ll only find textbooks. This applies to journal titles, or WU theses. Plus, you can access the WU Catalog anytime, even from the comfort of your home.
Which books can I borrow? How long can I keep them? And how many am I allowed to take out?
If you’re wondering about books you can’t borrow, check here. And for all the nitty-gritty details about borrowing, you’ll find everything you need on our website.
Why is there no renew button in my library account?
Attention: You’ll only see a renewal button if you can actually renew a book.
The button does not appear when…
- your loan period has ended
- the maximum loan duration has been reached
- the book is from the textbook collection (level 3)
- the book has been marked by someone else
- your library card has expired
Video tutorial
This tutorial teaches you how to search the WU Catalog for printed and electronic books.
