GUIDES & RESOURCES
Tips for Finding World Language Materials
The easiest and most comprehensive way of finding materials in a foreign language involves searching the library catalog. Follow the steps listed below.
On IMCPL's homepage, choose "Search Library Catalog" from the menu in the left column.
If you want books--in Spanish, for example--type subject:Spanish text, leaving no space between the colon and the quotation marks.
- The use of quotes will increase the chances that the term is searched as an exact phrase.
- The use of the word text following the language will produce a list of books in that language.
- On the left hand side of the screen there will be further options for narrowing the search--for example by branch location.
If you are interested in music, you can type, for example, "russian music". When the results screen appears, there will be options for narrowing the search. Click on the option of interest. Some of those options are:
- Format--Click on Compact Disc or Music Score or whatever format you're seeking
- Author--for work by a particular composer or musician
- Select Location--for items at a particular branch, click on the drop down menu and choose the branch
If you are searching for movies on DVD in a particular language, for instance French, enter the search in the following way: motion pictures, French.
- Many of the titles retrieved with this search will be French films
- Format choices--you can choose DVD's or whatever other format
- Another search to try is "french language" films.
Materials for studying a particular language can be found by typing, for example, "german language".
