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An Overview of PolyCat
What’s in the catalog?
PolyCat, the library’s catalog, includes records of physical materials in the library (such as books, video recordings, software, etc.) as well as online resources (like web sites, electronic journal titles, and instructional materials).
Note: You cannot use the catalog to find individual journal articles; for that you would search a database.
How do I carry out a basic search?
You can start searching the catalog by using the search box on the library web site located under the header photograph (see the red arrow below).
You can also go directly to the catalog at: http://librarysearch.poly.edu/. Basic Search is the default mode for the catalog and is a good way to get a quick glance of what the library has.
When you enter words into the search box, your search results will include items with all of your search terms. In addition to basic keyword searching, you can use the drop-down menu to limit your search to specific fields including: title, author, subject, ISBN, series, and call number.
Why use advanced search?
Advanced Search allows you to conduct a more precise search. You can access it by clicking on “Advanced Search” beneath the search box in the catalog (see red arrow below).
Advanced Search is useful when:
- Searching for a combination of words in different fields
- Searching for items within a specific publication range
- Limiting your search to specific format types (e.g. Thesis or DVD)
By clicking on “More Options” on the bottom of the screen, you can access more fields in the drop-down list to limit your search by as seen below:
For example, say you are interested in finding books about computers published by MIT Press. You would enter your search like this:
Beneath the search boxes is a list of different types of resources to limit your search by. Please note that not all these limiters are functioning properly yet. If you receive no results in a search using limiters, remove the limiter and try again.
What’s the difference between a subject and a keyword search?
A Keyword Search will find your search terms in any field of the record including author, title, subject heading, publisher, etc. A Subject Search will find the word(s) you type in the subject field only. You can use subject headings to improve the accuracy and efficiency of your searching.
How to find Subject Headings for your search:
- do a keyword search
- choose one or more records that look relevant and click the title to see the full record
- look at the “Related Subjects” listed - these are Subject Headings
- click on the Subject Heading that most closely fits your topic
Results page On the results screen, you will see the title, author, format, publisher, year of publication, call number, and availability of the items retrieved for your search. You will also see links that allow you to add it to a Book Bag (cart) or a List (you must be logged in to your account to use the List feature).
If your search retrieved too many results, you can easily refine your search using the links in the left hand column.
Choose what order to display your results by using the drop-down menu to the right of the page. You can select to sort results by relevance, author, title, date, call number, or popularity. To the left of each title is a small check box. Click the boxes to mark which items you would like to add to a List or Book Bag. Clicking the title of an item will take you to its detailed record page.
Detailed record page
The detailed record page displays additional information about the item and provides more search options. Clicking the image of the item will take you to Amazon Online Reader, allowing you to browse sections of the book whenever available. Click the Related Subjects links to view other items about that subject.
Underneath the subject headings is a list of tags used to describe the item. You can add tags to items after logging in to your account. You can view all of the tags you've added by going to your account and clicking the “my tags” tab.
Additional information available on the detailed record:
- Holdings Tab shows you the location, call number and status of the item. Next to the call number, the “Browse Shelf” link allows you to view the books that appear next to the selected item on the library’s shelves.
- Descriptions Tab provides additional bibliographic information or descriptions from the publisher.
- Comments Tab displays comments other users have left about an item. You can post comments about items after logging into your account.
- Amazon Reviews displays reviews about the item collected by Amazon.com.
To the right of the screen is a list of actions you can take, including: Print, Save to Lists, and Add to Book Bag/Cart. You can also search for the title in WorldCat, Google Scholar, or Bookfinder. PolyCat will suggest similar items to the one you are viewing.
Get alerts of new additions to the catalog You can signup to get alerts any time an item is added to the catalog that matches your interests using RSS (really simple syndication).
If you're not familiar with RSS, read about how to use RSS on the library blog.
Once you have narrowed a set of results to your satisfaction, you can subscribe to the search results by clicking on the orange RSS icon next to the number of results found.
Add the feed url to your RSS reader. Now that you have subscribed, any time an item is added to the catalog that matches what you were looking for, the item will appear in your reader with a link that will take you to the item in the catalog interface.
Log in to your account
Log in to your library account on the front page of the catalog or by clicking the “Log in to Your Account” link under the Quick Links menu on the library web site. Your log in is the first part of your NYU-Poly email address (before the @ sign) and your password is your NYU-Poly ID number.
When logged in, you can:
- find out what books you have checked out and when they are due
- renew books
- see if you have any library fines
- make changes to your contact information
- change your password
- submit purchase suggestions
- view your reading history
- view and manage tagged items
- save lists of items
Lists
Using the “Lists” feature allows you to create permanent booklists which can be shared with others. All items in a List link directly to the library's catalog. You must be logged in to your account to create Lists.
Lists come in two varieties:
- Private Lists can only be viewed and edited by the creator, but not by the public.
- Public Lists can be viewed by all, but edited only by the list's creator.
You can add items to a list either by checking the box next to the item on the results screen or by clicking “Save to Your Lists” from the details page of the item.
Note: You can only add items to a List that are checked on the page you are viewing. You should add all items you want from page 1 of results, then move to subsequent pages and do the same for each page.
Book Bag
The “Book Bag” feature allows you to temporarily save a list of items you find in the library catalog, then e-mail or print the list to for future reference.
Unlike Lists, the Book Bag is not a permanent list of items. It is session-based and the Book Bag can be emptied (or “cleared”) at any time. You do not need to be logged in to use the Book Bag feature.
Zotero Integration
Zotero is a free, easy-to-use Firefox extension to help you collect, manage, and cite your research sources. PolyCat comes with built in Zotero recognition.
IMPORTANT: You must use the Firefox browser with Zotero for this feature to work.
When viewing a record in the catalog a blue book icon will appear in your address bar (if Zotero is installed).
By clicking the blue book you will automatically save the item record to Zotero. When you open Zotero you will then see the item you saved in your collection.
Remember, if you get stuck, ask a librarian for help!
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