First, we recommend using the catalog's "Advanced Search," which you can reach from the library homepage under the heading "Find Books and Other Resources."
Once there, you can choose what you are searching by selecting a search scope.
Search Scopes
There are four search scopes:
- Hannon + Articles. This is the default search, which allows you to search everything in our physical collection as well as articles and eBooks to which we have access.
- Hannon + Articles + Other Libraries. This search scope is the broadest of the four, allowing you to search not only our collection but that of other libraries.
- Hannon Only. Use this search scope to search only our collection, excluding articles. Your results may include books, eBooks, government documents, DVDs, and more.
- Course Reserves. Use this search scope to find textbooks and other items that your instructor has put on reserve for a specific class. These items available at the Circulation Desk
Hannon + Articles
Search Hannon + Articles to find physical and digital items available at the Hannon Library. This search also includes articles from selected Hannon Library databases and open access resources. You can sign in to view articles and to request digital or physical items related to your search from other libraries.
Librarian Tip: This is our default search scope, so when you search from the library homepage, your search will use Hannon + Articles.
Librarian Tip: Because scholarly knowledge is organized by academic discipline, searching for articles using an online catalog can be messy. It’s usually better to choose a recommended database from one of our librarian-curated research guides. If you’re not sure what research guide or database to use, you can always ask a librarian, via chat from the library homepage or, if you’re in the library, get help from a librarian at the research help desk.
Hannon + Articles + Other Libraries
Search Hannon + Articles + Other Libraries to find books, articles, journals, media, and other resources from both our collection and libraries across the country. If Hannon Library doesn’t have the item, you can sign in to request it from another library.
Searching this way will usually get you lots of results, great if you’re trying to see what has been written about a topic, regardless of whether we have it here at Hannon Library. Items we have in our collection, though, are given a healthy bump in the search, so locally available items should show up higher on your list of results.
Librarian Tip: Searches in this scope may return items and articles that we don't have direct access to but can obtain for you via interlibrary loan.
Hannon Only
Search Hannon Only to find eBooks, books, videos, and other physical resources available at the Hannon Library. This is a great search scope when:
- You’re looking for a book you already know the title of and want to see if we have it on our shelves, ready for check out.
- Your paper is due tomorrow. Sometimes you just don’t have time to wait for a chapter scan or a physical item to arrive from another library. This search scope will tell you what you can get your hands on right now from the library’s physical collection and what eBooks you can immediately access (after signing in).
- You want to find items in our DVD collection.
- You want to know if we subscribe to a journal or magazine.
Course Reserves
Search Course Reserves to find items your instructor has placed on reserve. Instructors often place required or supplementary course materials on reserve for short loans so these items are not checked out for days or weeks when their students need them. Course reserve items are available to check out at the Circulation Desk.
Advanced Search
Once you're comfortable with search scopes, be sure to try the other advanced search features.
You can use advanced search to:
- Search in a specific field, such as the author name or title of the work
- Easily combine search terms using AND, OR, and NOT ("Boolean operators")
- Limit your search results to a specific time period (based on publication date)
- Limit your search results to a single kind of material (Print books, for example, or journal articles)
Last Updated: Aug 11, 2025