The Library provides a variety of different tools for finding scholarly resources (e,g, papers, theses, published articles, books, other media, manuscripts, other archival material). Some of these tools provide information about material that is physically (or virtually) present on campus (e.g. print books and journals, archival collections, theses), and some provide links to electronic materials to which we provide licensed access to the campus community (e.g. eBooks, electronic journal articles, databases).

The search box on the Library's home page provides keyword search of the following by choosing from the dropdown:

Catalog

Choose "Catalog" in the dropdown to search the Library Catalog for:

  • Print books in campus collections
  • Print journal titles in campus collections
  • Licensed eBooks available to the Caltech community
  • Sound recordings and other physical media in campus collections

at Caltech and Beyond

Choose "at Caltech and Beyond" in the drowdown for a broader discovery search. This search includes everything in the Catalog above, along with a vast number of additional academic resources to which we can provide access through DocuServe. Search results should provide links to one of the following:

  • Library Catalog records for materials in our physical collections
  • A CaltechConnect link directly to the item, for open access or licenses material
  • A CaltechConnect link to options for obtaining the item through DocuServe.

Journal Titles

The Library maintains a searchable list of the journals to which we provide online access, including both current and back files. Choose "Journals Titles" and enter keywords from the title you are seeking. Titles returned show the dates to which we have access and links to one or more providers.

Databases

The Library maintains a searchable list of the databases to which we provide online access. The contents of these databases varies a great deal, and can include documents, dictionaries, guides, handbooks, data, etc. Choose "Databases" from the dropdown and enter words from the title of a database you know (e.g. "crc handbook"), or a subject or term of interest.

Library Guides

Library subject specialists have authored a wide range of guides on subjects in their areas of expertise. Choose "Library Guides" from the dropdown and enter terms or interest (e.g. "computer science", "isbn", "thesis"). You can also enter the name of a librarian to find guides authored by that person.

Library Website

The dropdown "Library Website" searches for keywords in the pages of the Library Website, and is best for finding information about Library services and policies, such as "borrowing", "printing", "techlab", etc.

CaltechAUTHORS

CaltechAUTHORS is the repository of research papers authored by members of the Caltech community. Choose "CaltechAUTHORS" from the dropdown and enter keywords from the author's name, article title, and/or journal title.

Other Search Tools

There are additional materials held by the Caltech Library that are not accessible through home page search box. These include:

  • CaltechTHESIS, the repository of Caltech PhD theses (including some masters and undergraduate theses also)
  • CaltechDATA, the repository of open access data related to the Institute's reseach output
  • Caltech Archives collections of manuscripts, photographs, sounds recordings, film, video, correspondence, oral histories

For more information about these and other online collections visit CODA, Caltech Collections of Open Digital Archives.