Research help

CCC Library's catalog is a great place to start your research.

This is because a library catalog is a "meta-search" - meaning it searches for information across a lot of different places. It looks for library books, articles, and videos, and content in academic databases, and open-access online sources.

It is more effective to search CCC Library's catalog when you:

• Want to cast a wide net. If you are first starting your research, a meta-search like the catalog can help you find background information, and confirm if is information on your topic.
• Know exactly what you want. When you have a specific title of an information resource, the library catalog is the best place to start.
• Want a physical book.
• Want to filter and refine your search results. The library catalog, unlike Google (another meta-search), has lots of built in tools for you to refine your search results.
• Want to identify or improve keywords. Items in library catalogs have been "cataloged" - meaning described with relevant words. Identifying these relevant words helps you perform searches in other tools, later!

Find almost everything CCC Library has to offer to you - items in CCC Library, Summit partner libraries, and most article databases. Then refine your search results to identify the best resources.

1. Enter your search terms.
   
    
2. Select Search (the magnifying glass icon or hit Enter on your keyboard).
    
3. Select Sign in and log in using your myClackamas email and password.
   
    
4. Refine and filter your results using any of the options listed under Refine my results
   
   Highlights include:
   • Availability
     • Peer-reviewed Journals - online articles published in peer-reviewed journals
     • On Library Shelves - print books in CCC Library on the Oregon City campus
     • Full Text Online - resources you can access online using your CCC username and password
     • Open Access - resources you can freely access online
   • Resource Type
     • Read - articles, print books, eBooks, magazine articles, book chapters, newspaper articles, encyclopedias
     • Watch - eVideo, DVD videos
     • Think about what type of resources make sense for your topic, your time frame, and your instructor's expectations.
        
5. Results page. The images, icons, and text on the results page tells you about each resource and how to access its full text. 
   

Call numbers are like street addresses for items in a library. Each line of a call number has meaning.

Call numbers are written horizontally in our library catalog, but are written vertically on the spines of physical books. Vertical call numbers are what you see on our bookshelves.

Example: Body dysmorphia - RC569.5.B64

How to read a vertical call number:

1. First line = letters (subject area)
2. Second line = numbers (sub-topic)
3. Third line = .letter + numbers (author, title)
4. Fourth line = numbers (year published)

Read the numbers in the third line as decimal numbers. Smaller decimal numbers are shelved before larger decimal numbers (so RC569.5.B545 is shelved before RC569.5.B64).

Find the call number range on the end of the stacks. Each general call number will have topic-specific material available in that immediate area. We invite you to browse those sections of CCC Library.