Search ASU Library FAQs

Want something fun to read?  Do you have a title or favorite author?

Although you can use other methods, we find that the Advanced Search option works best for searching our catalog for a book title or author. Here's how it works...

From the library home page https://lib.asu.edu/

Just below and to the right of the main search box, you will find the Advanced Search option:

• Click:  Advanced Search
• Change "All resources" to:  ASU Library Catalog
• Change "Any field" to:  author or title
• Change "contains" to:  is (exact) or starts with
• Fill in the blank with the author's name or the title of the book
• Hit <Enter> on your keyboard to search!

If you want to simply search for a broad category of books:

• Click:  Advanced Search
• Change "All resources" to:  ASU Library Catalog
• Change "Any field" to:  subject
• Change "contains" to:  is (exact)
• Fill in the blank with the category / genre of book you want, such as:
  • fiction or mystery or romance or science fiction
  • autobiographical fiction or biographical fiction or historical fiction
  • graphic novels or novels or short stories
  • plays or poems or poetry
• Hit <Enter> on your keyboard to search!

Note: If you are looking for FICTION, all of our fiction is arranged by language, then eras, countries, and then by author. The Library of Congress (LC) classification system is designed for academic research rather than for browsing for leisure reading; therefore, LC subject terms are designed to find books by themes and other topics assigned within a literature call number classification.