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Isothermal Community College P.O. Box 804, Spindale NC 28160 (828) 286-4636 fax (828) 286-8208 For more information, contact Director of Library Services Charles P. Wiggins |
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Library Services for Students
The CMC Library Consortium
The CMC Library Consortium is a cooperative organization of the libraries in Rutherford County and Polk County, North Carolina. Members include Isothermal Community College Library; Rutherford County Public Library and its branches (Haynes and Mountains); the municipal libraries of Rutherford County (Mooneyham, Norris, and Spindale), and the Polk County Library and its branch (Saluda). The Consortium maintains an online union catalog of holdings of all member libraries. The CMC Library Consortium Public Access Catalog home page offers three choices: Jump to a Specific Library's Catalog; Search Using the Classic Catalog; or Search Using the AquaBrowser (a visual search technique). The catalog is accessible from any Internet-connected computer at http://www.cmclibraries.org/default.htm.
Using the Classic CMC Library Consortium Catalog
The CMC Catalog lets you search by
author,
title,
subject, and
notes indexes separately or
in combination. Although searching is a simple, straightforward
process, understanding the elements of search and display features will
help you obtain reliable, consistent results.
Performing a Keyword Search
To
perform a search, type your search term(s) in the box under "Search
Using the Classic Catalog) and click Search or press Enter.
If there are too many items in the result list, you may want to narrow
the search by placing limits on it. The search screen at the bottom of
every results page includes a number of limiting choices, as well as a
search box in which to
type your search term. Note that:
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You may limit your search to only items which contain your search term in one or more categories (Titles, Authors, Subjects, Notes, Publisher or Series) or choose to search all categories (Any Fields) by clicking the appropriate checkboxes;
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You may choose to search only for items that begin with your search term, for any items that contain the term, terms that closely match, stem from, or sound like the search term entered. (The begin with option searches for the terms you enter at the beginning of a line and in the order they are typed. The contain option does not care about word order or the position of the search term);
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You may choose to search the holdings of all libraries (“Search All Libraries”), or limit your search to one or more libraries, by clicking the appropriate checkbox(es).
Click Search when you have set up the configuration you desire to search. A numbered results list then appears, showing items that match your search query, the library in which they can be found, and the call number under which they are filed. (Note that when multiple results are found for a search term, the type of search and the number of items returned is displayed.)
Results List
To view the complete
record of any item in the results list, click on it. At this screen you
will find the Labeled Display,
which includes Author, Title, Imprint (publication info) and Subject
headings fields for the item. Note that:
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Underlined text indicates links from this record to other information.
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Location, Collection, Call number, and Availability information is provided under Location Information. (For help in locating an item with a Library of Congress (LC) call number, see Locating Books Organized by the Library of Congress System.)
Some items in result lists may indicate that they are available on NetLibrary. See Page 6 for information on using NC LIVE to access NetLibrary.
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Your search window remains on the lower part of the page, ready to be used for another search. If you wish, you may refine the search to produce fewer, more relevant results.
Refining Your Search
Subject Searches
To
search for works with William Shakespeare as the
subject:
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Scroll down to the search area and select Subject by clicking in the checkbox; uncheck other boxes. This limits your search to subjects only. (To enter or remove a check, click once on the appropriate checkbox.)
Select the begin with option by clicking on the button next to it.
Type Shakespeare William in the empty "word(s)" box and click the Search button or press Enter. (It is necessary to type in the last name first when searching by subject because authors' last names always appear first in subject fields. Capitalization and punctuation are optional, however.)
A results list of items will appear which match your search settings.
Author Searches
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Scroll down to the search area and select Authors by clicking in the checkbox; uncheck other boxes.
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Select the begin with option by clicking on the button next to it.
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Type Shakespeare William in the empty "word(s)" box and click the Search button or press Enter. (Authors' last names always appear first in author fields, too.)
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A results list of items will appear which match your search settings.
Title Searches
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Scroll down to the search area and select Titles by clicking in the checkbox
; uncheck other boxes. -
Select the contain option by clicking on the button next to it.
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Type William Shakespeare in the search box and click the Search button. (This search will locate titles with William Shakespeare in any position.)
Limiting Your Search in Other Ways
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Select the library collection(s) you want to search by clicking the appropriate checkbox(es).
Click the Search button. The result list will include only items in the library collection(s) indicated. -
Select "Search Available Items Only." The result list will contain only items that are not currently checked out.
Exact Phrase Searches
You
can designate exact phrases to search by enclosing them in quotes
("right to bear arms," "in vitro fertilization," etc.).
Using the AquaBrowser
The AquaBrowser version of the CMC catalog, accessible as the third search
option on the CMC Catalog home page, provides the searcher with a "visual" approach
to searching the catalog, in addition to different limiting
features.
To use the AquaBrowser, enter your search term in the AquaBrowser search
box and click Search or press Enter. The middle
of the next screen contains the result list from all library holdings.
To the left is a "word cloud," a visual map consisting of Associations
(related terms), Translations (of the search term in other languages),
Spelling Variants, and Discovery Trail (useful for keeping track of your
search history). To the right are other means of limiting your
search, by location, format, author, subject, language and/or series.
You can click on any term in the word cloud to go to results that match
that term. Click on the title of an item in the result list for
information on which library holds the item, what collection it is in,
its call number, and its availability status (whether it's available or
already checked out to someone), as well as its publication information,
notes and the subject headings assigned to the item.
Patron Review
Clicking the Patron Review button can link you to your library records in the CMC Library Consortium patron records database, where you can
Review a list of the items you have checked out at all CMC libraries
Check the dates your materials are due
Check the status of Holds you have placed
Review the accuracy of your contact information.
To access your patron record, you must first visit a CMC library and give the library staff your own Personal Identification Number (PIN) to use as a password. When you click the Patron Review button in the CMC online catalog, have your library card and PIN number ready to enter, and then follow onscreen instructions.
View Reserves
A new View Reserves function is now available from the catalog. This feature allows access to lists of materials currently placed on reserve at the Circulation desk by Isothermal instructors.
To view a list of materials an instructor has on reserve:
Go to the CMC Library Consortium homepage (http://www.cmclibraries.org)
Click Search the Catalog in the blue column on the left
Click the oval blue Search button (available on both the main consortium catalog search page and the individual libraries’ search pages)
Click the button labeled View Reserves in the row of buttons for Home, Search, Browse, etc., located at the top of the page.
When you reach this point, you have the option to view items currently on reserve by Instructor, Department or Course. You may limit the search to any one of these options or any combination of two or more options.