Your Primary Tool: WorldCat Local

WorldCat Local: Use WorldCat Local to find books, journals, and some articles available in WSU. You will also find books that can be requested from libraries around the Pacific Northwest (Summit). Results will be listed in order of local availability like this: WSU Vancouver first, then WSU all, Summit, and WorldCat Libraries.

Requesting: WorldCat Local has a “Request” button that make it easy to have an item sent to our library. This is the fastest way to order books.

Delivery Time: It can take several days (and sometimes up to a week) to get materials from other libraries. You should receive an email notice letting you know something has arrived but it’s also a good idea to drop by the library or give us a call to check to see whether items have arrived for you.

Your Back-Up Tools: Griffin and Summit

Griffin: Use the WSU library catalog to find books and journals owned by WSU.

Summit: This is a catalog of college and university libraries in the Pacific Northwest. Use this after trying Griffin.

Searching the catalogs for specific subject headings can be an effective way to find more sources on your topic. To do this, do a “LC Subject” search, rather than a keyword search. Be sure to look at related subjects (often listed right next to the term you searched for).

In WorldCat Local, it is helpful to begin a subject search with these code letters: su:

For example, search    su: Description and Travel Early Works to 1800

To find travelogues using subject headings, search these standard headings:

• "Description and Travel"
• "Early Works to 1800"
• "Travel"
• "Voyages and Travel"
• "Travel Narrative"

Limit to searching a specific place by using the correct place name, for example:

• Regions - "Southern States," "South America," "West Indies"
• Countries - "Brazil," "Maldives," "Japan"
• States - "Virginia" etc.

Combine subjects and places to narrow your results:

• Brazil Description and Travel
• Virginia Travel Early Works to 1800

There are several other terms that will help pinpoint the travelogue collection in the Libraries.

• "March of America Facsimile Series" = a set of travel narratives written by people visiting early America.
• "Hakluyt" finds travelogues reproduced by the Hakluyt Society for modern readers.

You can combine the keywords above with subject place names to limit your results.