Find Homework (K-12) Resources

You will learn how to use the library catalog to search for both non-fiction and fiction books, audiobooks, DVDs, and more. 

A library catalog is a listing of all the items held by that library. It will pull up books, movies, video games, journal articles, digital content, and so much more. 

If you know it, you can search for an item by it's title or author. BUT you can also search just using a keyword.

Alvin Sherman Library's Catalog can be found in multiple ways:

• use the url novacat.nova.edu
• OR visit library.nova.edu and make sure the dropdown reads "Catalog" then type in your keyword.

Broward County Public Library's Catalog is separate from ours and can be found at: https://www.broward.org/Library/Pages/Default.aspx

The library catalog allows us to search all of the library's holdings by keywords, author, and title.

You can put just a word in the top search box and pull up everything we have that mentions the keyword OR you can refine your search with the advanced options below.

You can use multiple keywords, limit by format (print material, DVD, Blu-Ray, etc.), or even select a specific location or collection. NSU Media will look only at audio/visual materials, and Children's Collection will narrow the search to materials for children and teens, ages 0-18.

Once you select "Search" you will get a list of results that look like the image below. We can learn a lot of information very quickly about our item so we can decide if we like it.

A. Cover - As much as we say "don't judge a book by it's cover" you can learn a lot about a book by it's cover. I bet you can look at the one above and guess that it's probably a non-fiction book.

B. Title - The title can tell us a lot about what the book is about. "American Alligator" is clearly a book about the American Alligator while "American Amphibians" would probably tell us a lot about frogs.

C. Subtitle - This gives us a little more information about the book. "American Alligator: A Novel" is gong to be different than "American Alligator: Ancient predator in the modern world."

D. Author - Who wrote the book. Clicking this will show you other titles written by the same person,

E. Call # - where the book is located in the library.

F. Place Hold - You can use this button to have the library pull the book and set it aside for you to pick up later.

G. Availability - This will tell you if the book is currently available or checked out. If you click on it, it will also tell you what collection the book is in, which can help you find it. 

H. Format - This graphic indicates what kind of material it is. The catalog will pull up everything the library owns, so you can check this image to quickly see if it's a physical/print book, a digital book, audiobook, a video game, a DVD or Blu-Ray or any other format the library currently has in their collection.

Use the library's catalog to search for materials such as books, ebooks, DVDs, etc., by keyword, author, or title. Click on an entry on the results list to view an item's availability, location, and call number.

1. No results? Check your spelling or the fields you searched in. Selecting different fields will produce different results.

2. Too few results? Go back and expand your search by using synonyms or related terms.

3. Too many results? Go back and use the advanced search filters to limit your search.

Need help? Ask a Librarian!

Call numbers are a method for keep books in order. They work like an address and are used to find a book in the library. We use two classification systems:

• Library of Congress (LC)
• Dewey Decimal

The list below provides a quick guide to where each call number range is located within the Alvin Sherman Library:

Library of Congress Call Numbers:

• A - HD69 .T46 - 3rd Floor (East side)
• HD69 .T46 – PQ - 3rd Floor (West Side)
• PR-Z - 4th Floor (West Side)

Dewey Decimal Call Numbers:

• 000 - 999 (Published after 2021) - 1st Floor (Circulation Room near the library exit)
• 000 - 999 (Published before 2021) - 1st Floor (Public Library Services)
• Children, middle grade, and young adult books - 1st Floor ( Public Library Services)

Open the document below for more specific locations: