Help Topics: Collections

The Collections area of the e-Library contains all of the library's online information resources, including electronic books, journals, newspapers, proceedings, and reference materials. This area also includes the tools you need to identify and locate items in the library's collections. The principal subdivisions of the Collections area are:

The ISU Library's online catalog of holdings, searchable by author, title, subject, keyword, etc. Use this to obtain locations and call numbers for books, journals, and other items in the physical collection. Links from many catalog records will take you directly to an electronic book or journal.
Indexes & Abstracts - A periodical index allows you to identify individual journal articles by author, title, subject or keyword. Many indexes include an abstract, or brief summary of each article. Also, a growing number of indexes and abstracts provide access to entire, full-text journal articles electronically.
e-Journals & e-Books - This collection includes the full text of books and journals that are published in electronic format.
e-Reference Sources - Many standard reference tools, such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, directories, handbooks, etc., are now published electronically, and are available (full-text) in this collection.
e-Newspapers & e-Proceedings - This collection provides online access to Iowa, national, and international newspapers, many with full-text articles from the paper edition.
e-Resources by Subject - This collection provides links to recommended resources on the World Wide Web, arranged by subject.
Other Library Catalogs - A page with convenient links to the online catalogs of other libraries.
Internet Search - A link to statewide, national, and university-based Internet search engines.