Using the Library Catalog

What's included in the catalog?

The library catalog includes searchable, descriptive records of the holdings of all the Penn Libraries, excluding the Biddle Law Library, which has a separate catalog. Types of content include:

• books
• ebooks
• journals
• newspapers
• videos (both DVDs and streaming)
• sound recordings
• subscription databases
• manuscripts
• datafiles
• other resources owned and/or subscribed to by the Penn Libraries.
• a preview selection of results from Articles+, which contains individual articles in journals, magazines, and newspapers. The preview contains a link to access the full results set from Articles+.

Location information for print works and links to available full-text are provided. The catalog also includes materials that have been ordered or received, but not yet fully available for circulation.

What's not included?

• Individual articles in journals, magazines, and newspapers which are not indexed in Articles+. To search for individual articles available elsewhere, use other databases available through the Penn Libraries.
• Individual chapters, essays, and papers within edited works, collections of essays, and conference proceedings.

For information on Borrowing, please see these separate guides pages:

Borrowing | Loan Policies | Fines and Fees | Courtesy Borrowing | Renewals | Suspension of Privileges | UPHS, HUP, SOM, CHOP | Students on Leave | Reciprocal Borrowing Penn Affiliates | Reciprocal Borrowing for Eligible Users

The catalog contains records to many full-text e-resources, including journals, ebooks, government publications, streaming videos, newspapers, and much more.

For detailed information about accessing full-text works, see the separate guide called Using E-Resources. If you encounter a problem accessing an electronic resource, the following information may assist you: 

• Optimal Browser Settings
• Three Steps that resolve many problems
• Commonly Reported Problems and Solutions

If you continue to experience problems, please complete this E-Resource Problem Report Form.