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Yonkers High School IB: Finding Materials: Catalog & Library

Use this to start your Extended Essay Work

Yonkers Public Schools Library

To access all online resources go to: www.clever.com/in/yonkers - Click LDAP log in

User Name: email address

Example: 123456@yonkerspublicschools.org

Password: Computer password

Westchester Library System

If after searching the WLS catalog you find that they don't own an item, contact Mary Robison (mrobison@ypl.org) or Eileen Fusco (efusco@ypl.org) or call 914-375-7966.

Yonkers Public Library

 

Research Databases & Homework Help: 

Use your YPL card to log in to the following electronic resources: 

Search the Catalog

Librarian Tip: You can search the catalog for a variety of items (articles, books, DVDs, and more). Looking for a specific article? Just search for the title of it in the catalog, just like you would for a book or DVD.

Create a Search Using Commands

1. Isolate keywords from your topic.

2. Narrow your search results to include both of your keywords using AND.

librarian AND “active learning” AND “information literacy”

3. Continue building onto your search, and expand your options using OR to find similar terms.

librarian AND “active learning” AND “information literacy” AND (student OR researcher)

Combining search terms with AND:

  • Narrows your search, reducing the number of results.
  • Makes the search focus more specifically on your topic.

For Example

A search for librarian yields 172,745 results

A search for “active learning” yields 16,358 results

A search for "active learning" AND librarian yields 1,243 results

Combining search terms with OR:

  • Expands your search and increases number of results.

For Example

A search for student yields 3,698,871 results

A search for researcher yields 1,425,100 results

A search for student OR researcher yields 4,690,553 results

Combining search terms with NOT:

  • Narrows your search, decreasing your search results.
  • Tells the search to exclude certain terms.

For Example

A search for college yields 3,378,136 results

A search for college NOT “high school” yields 2,916,582 results

Use Quotation Marks to:

  • Narrow your search.
  • Combine search terms that are more than single worlds.

This shows the search engine that you want the terms to be found together. The search will look for exactly what you place in the quotation marks, so be sure there are no mistakes.

For Example

A search for information literacy yields 147,695 results

A search for "information literacy" yields 13,038 results

 

Use Truncation to:

  • Expand your search.
  • Give your search tool flexibility to find alternate endings for your search term.

Search engines match your terms to results; they will not automatically find an alternate version of it. Truncation tells the search to match the root of your term and gives it freedom to find whatever endings it can.

For Example

A search for Librarian yields 172,775 results

A search for Librar* yields 1,887,533 results

These commands are called Boolean Operators.

Bool•e•an

1. denoting a system of algebraic notation used to represent logical propositions, especially in computing and electronics.

What does that mean for you?

If you are having a hard time finding what you need, use the Boolean Operators outlined here to more efficiently search databases.

No matter where you are searching - the catalog, Google Scholar, a database you will want to use Boolearn Operators to refine your search to your specifications.

We are indebted to the Butler University Library's And/Or/Not box for some of the content displayed here.

Civil Rights Bibliography

This bibliography is a list of selected materials on civil rights movements available at the Yonkers Riverfront and Will Libraries. Please use the library catalog (www.ypl.org) to find other useful materials in the catalog.

How to Read a Call Number

What is a Call Number?

The call number is the "address" for a book. Use it to locate books (and other items) at the Library. 

  1. Read the first line in alphabetical order. For example, PR would come before PS. 
  2. Read the second line as a whole number and in numerical order. For example, 1541 would come before 1631. 
  3. The third line is a combination of letters and numbers. Read the letters alphabetically and the numbers as a decimal. For example, A3 would come after A133. 
  4. In many cases the last line will be the year the book was published.

LC Subject Areas

Most academic libraries, including Sarah Lawrence, have books organized in a system called Library of Congress. This means books are arranged by subject, not just fiction/non-fiction and author. See below for details on what that means and where the books can be found at Sarah Lawrence.

Location of Subject Areas in the Library

Library of Congress Subject Areas

Location Subject Area
Upper Level A - General Works 
  B - Philosophy, Psychology, Religion
C - Auxiliary History of Science
D - World History and History of Europe
E - History of the Americas
F - History of the Americas
G - Geology, Anthropology, Recreation
H - Social Sciences
J - Political Science
K - Law
L - Education
Main Level M - Music and Books on Music
N - Fine Arts
P-PQ - Language and Literature
Lower Level PR-PZ - Language and Literature
Q - Science
R - Medicine
S - Agriculture 
T - Technology
U - Military Science
V - Naval Science
Z - Bibliography, Library Science, Information Science