Educating All Students, ED 2203: Books

1. Go to the Library Homepage.or enter your search in the "Library Catalogs" search box on this page. Start with "CBBcat."
2. If you are looking for a specific book, choose a "Search type," keyword, title or author.
3. If searching for a topic, start with t" a keyword.  Be creative in selecting terms to use in your keyword search.  Many different terms may be used to describe your topic. 
4. When you find some relevant titles, check the "Subject"  links to find additional books on your topic. 
5. To locate books within the Bowdoin Library, note the call number and location, i.e. "Bowdoin Main Library"; the call number may also be sent to you as an email message.
6. When you find your book, browse the surrounding shelves for other books on the same topic.
7. If you find a book in CBBcat that is not avialable at Bowdoin, you may request it through CBBcat by clicking on "CBB Request" in the middle of the page.
8. If you do not find any books through your original search in CBBcat, try MaineCat.
9. Books may also be requested through our interlibrary loan services. (See the Interlibrary Loan box for more information.)

CBBCat
Catalog of books, videos, government documents and other research materials held by Bowdoin, Bates or Colby Colleges. Request books from Bates or Colby by clicking on the "CBB Request" link.

MaineCat
Catalog of the collections of academic and public libraries in Maine.  Request books from other Maine libraries by clicking on the "Request" link.

WorldCat
Combined catalog of the holdings of books and other monographs from academic U.S. libraries.   Books not available through CBBcat or MaineCat may be requested through interlibrary loan by clicking on the "Request through ILL" link.

When a book is not in Bowdoin's Collection, search MaineCat to see if either network of libraries has the book you want. If either one has your book, you can create your own interlibrary loan by clicking "request this item."

When a book or journal article is not available at CBBcat or MaineCat, the next option is traditional Interlibrary Loan. In this system, you have access to books and journals from academic libraries across the U.S. and in some foreign countries.

Your username and password for ILL are your Bowdoin email/network username and password. You access a form to fill out at Interlibrary Loan. (You do not need to know which library has the item you want; the ILL department finds a holding library.) Articles are usually sent electronically, while books travel to Bowdoin in the U.S. mail, usually within 5-10 working days.