In our library:

Every book (and every magazine, CD, DVD, etc.) that is here in our library is in our catalog. If you know the title of the book or the author's name (last name, first name), try searching those. If you're looking to see what we have in a particular subject area, here are a couple of techniques to try.

1. Every book (except some works of fiction) is assigned one or more subject headings in a controlled vocabulary developed by the Library of Congress (hence, Library of Congress Subject search). You could look up these headings in the large, red Library of Congress Subject Heading Books at the Reference Desk and then carefully transcribe them into the search box that you get when you click on subject search, or you could just take a stab at guessing them.
2. Another approach is to choose either Keyword or Advanced Keyword search. Key in one or two keywords that describe what you're looking for. As you look down the resulting list of titles you'll probably notice some pretty strange hits, but you'll probably also see some titles that look like they might be about the subject you're researching. Click on one of these.

As you look at the record that describes the book you picked, scroll down until you come to the subject headings assigned to that book. Each of these headings is a link. If you click on the subject heading that best describes your research, you'll get a list of all the subject headings used in our catalog that alphabetically surround the one clicked on. The one you chose will be in the middle of this list. You can either click on that subject heading, or you can take a look at similar subjects. Whatever you decide to click on, you'll get a list of the titles of the books that have been described by that particular subject heading. Click on the title that you want to get the information that you need to find the book in the library.

Locating Books in the Library:

1. When you're looking at the catalog record for a book in the library, check the information in the box in the middle of the record. If the location is Bard Library, then we have the book on the circulating shelves. We share this catalog with the library at the Center for Curatorial Studies (CCS), the Levy Institute and the Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts (BGC), so before you head to the stacks to retrieve a book, check to make sure that it's here. If the location says Bard Reserves or Special Collections, take the call number to the student behind the Reserve Desk on the third floor of Stevenson. Bard Photo Books are located on the shelves in front of the Reserve Desk. If the location is Bard Rare Books or Bard Arendt or Bardiana, see the librarian at the Reference Desk and she will get the book for you.
2. Next, check the status. If a book is checked out to another patron, the due date for that book will appear under Status. If the book is on Reserve, the due date will be within three hours. If this is a book you need, Try Connect NY. (see below).
3. If the book is in the library, copy down the call number. The first letter or two of the call number tells you where in the library the book is located. Here's the breakdown (don't worry, this "map" is posted all over the library):

Once you've found the books that begin with the right letters, find the next set of numbers (they run in order on the shelves from 1 to 9999). When you've found the books that correspond to the letter(s) and first set of numbers in the call number, then find the letter that comes after the .(dot). At that point, you've probably found your book, as well as a number of other books about the same subject. If you can't find a book, see the librarian at the Reference Desk, and she'll help you.

ConnectNY

For books not available in our collection, try ConnectNY. ConnectNY is a catalog of fourteen academic libraries in New York State. ConnectNY is designed to allow authorized users of participating libraries to borrow materials from other Connect NY libraries if the books are not owned by their home library or if their library's copy is already checked-out. To use ConnectNY, click on the ConnectNY icon on our homepage. Search the catalog just as you would ours and, when you find a title (books only) you want, click on the link that tells you how many libraries own that item. Make sure that the status on at least one entry says Available. The click on the Request this Item link. Choose Bard from the drop-down menu and, on the next screen, key in your last name and the barcode number from the back of your Bard ID. Within three to six days, the book will be delivered for pick up at the 3rd floor Reserve desk. ConnectNY books may be borrowed for three weeks and may be renewed for three more if there is no hold on the title at its original institution. ConnectNY fines are very, very steep, so make sure you return your ConnectNY books on time.

WorldCat

For books not in our catalog or ConnectNY, WorldCat is one-stop shopping. WorldCat is a user-friendly interface to the OCLC database of books. Originally a cataloging and interlibrary loan tool, WorldCat contains the catalog records of thousands of libraries worldwide, including Harvard, NYPL, Columbia and NYU (and ours, incidentally).

Search WorldCat by title, author or keyword (or in advanced search by other parameters). When you find a title you want, come to the Reference Desk for help requesting and Interlibray Loan.

Request an Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

Interlibrary Loan is a service that enables us to borrow books from other libraries on behalf of our patrons. Click here to find out more about Interlibrary Loan.

Online Books

Another way to find a book, particularly one that is out of copyright is to see if it’s online. While this is not the ideal way to read a book, there are plenty of titles online from a wide variety of sources. The link above will bring you to a page where you can browse and search by title and author for electronic texts.

There are many more sources for books, both in print and out. If all else fails, call or come by the Reference Desk, ext. 7281. We'd be happy to help you.