Learn More about IUCAT!

Check out the changes in IUCAT!

IUCAT has a new look and new features. More are coming in late January. Read the section on new features below and also check out our FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) .

New Features

New Login Screens
New login screens help you get the most out of IUCAT. Students, faculty and staff should log in to access services tied to their library accounts (such as Request Delivery) and to connect to subscription resources from off-campus.

Here is what you will see when you connect to IUCAT:

  • On-campus users will be prompted to log in to their library accounts.
  • Use your IU Network ID and password.
  • Off-campus users will be prompted to log in TWICE with IU Network ID.
  • The first login allows you to use electronic books, journals, and other materials for which IU has a subscription.
  • The second login provides access to your library account to use Request Delivery (to have a book in another IU library delivered to the IU library of your choice), or to use My Account and ALF services.
  • Guest login is ALWAYS available.

    • New Front Search Screen Designed to Help You Find Materials More Quickly
    IUCAT provides access to nearly 6 million titles. You have told us you want more effective ways to narrow your search results:

  • The new Basic Search screen allows you to enter title, author and/or keywords to be searched.
  • Use AND between each line to find all the words you typed in the same record.

    • Special Search Screens for DVD/Video, Sound Recording and Electronic Book Searches.
    Find DVDs and videos, sound recordings and electronic books more easily!

  • Select the appropriate search screen from the menu on the right.
  • The Sound Recording Search helps you find music and spoken word recordings, and to limit your search by the sound format.
  • The DVD and Video Search limits search results to video recordings and motion pictures.
  • The E-Book Search is an experiment to help you find titles in our growing collection of electronic books. Check the URL to determine whether your campus has access to a title.
  • Type your search terms in the appropriate boxes.
  • Focus your search to a particular kind of material. For example: Don't have a VHS player? Select DVDs.
  • Use other search limits to focus your results.

    • Quick Search for Journal Titles
    Need to find your favorite journal fast? Try the new Periodical Title Search screen. For single word journal titles, like "Newsweek," use the Exact button.

    See call numbers and other details quickly.
    Click on the title to see the full record, with call number and shelving location.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Your message at the top of the IUCAT screens asks me to set my library limit to ALL Libraries. Why should I do that?
    We are currently experiencing a problem with the library name that appears automatically on your search screen in the "library" limit box. It does not always include the full text and other electronic resources purchased for users on all campuses to which you have access. Until we get the problem fixed, we recommend that you set your library limit to ALL libraries to ensure you see everything you are entitled to use.

    When I try to print or email or save items I have found, there are no call numbers. Did I do something wrong?
    This is a known problem with IUCAT. We have reported it to the company that supplies our IUCAT software and they are working to resolve the problem. In the meantime, we recommend that you NOT use Print/Email/Save for now and use the following processes instead:

    I tried to put in a Request Delivery request. The button on the screen says "Place Hold." Will my book be delivered to the library I selected?
    The new Request Delivery screens show a Place Hold button. This is equivalent to the Request Delivery button you have used in the past. When you click on it, you will get a response indicating whether or not your delivery request went through.

    I want to ask for a book to be delivered from another IU campus. The Request Delivery form asks me for an expiration date. What is that? Do I have to use it?
    The expiration date allows you to tell us if there is a date after which you do not want the item you are requesting. If you do not want the items after a certain date, fill in that date. You may use the little calendar tool to find the appropriate date. If you do not wish to set an expiration date, you may leave this box blank.

    I looked at My Account and the screen shows that I owe the library money! I never got a bill. Do I have to pay that money? Where can I get more information?
    At present, bills that users have accumulated are displaying on My Account screens. These numbers are misleading, however, because they do not include amounts sent to the Bursar for billing and they can include refunds masquerading as bills. If you have a question, please contact the circulation desk at your local library. We hope to remove this information from IUCAT on January 21.

    I used to see a link that said "URL Available" on the title list screen. It was really useful. It's not there anymore. Why did you take it away?
    Yes, we removed the "URL Available" designation. The "URL Available" message causes problems because it appears where there is full text, but it also appears when there is simply a link to a publisher's description or table of contents, and no full text is available. Users found it frustrating. In addition, on January 21, we will be adding "content" that we purchase, including links to summaries, book reviews, tables of contents, etc. When this new content is added, the "URL Available" message will be in the way. You can still find out what is available electronically. There are several ways to do this. One way is to add and http to your keyword search. Another is to look for titles that have the words [electronic resources] in the title or are held by the ONLINE library.

    I used to be able to find a title using the Exact search. Why did you take that away?
    The Exact search was a nice search for one-word titles, but it caused a lot of problems for other materials because it was too exact. To find a match on a title search, you needed to know both the title and the subtitle. Differing editions of a book changed subtitles or added/excluded them. Sometimes we owned a title being searched, but the Exact search hid it from view. To quickly find a title you know, try one of the following options: 1) Type the title words in the title box and the author's name in the author search box. This is usually the most effective way to search for a title you know. 2) If you don't know the author's name, type the title words you know in single quotes ('title you know') or use the Begins with (Browse) search from the More IUCAT Searches box on the right side of the search screen.

    How do I find a journal? You took away the option for Periodical Title on the first screen.
    The easiest way to find a journal title is to use the Periodical Title Search screen. You will find this search in the More IUCAT Searches box on the right side of the search screen you see when you connect to IUCAT. If you have a journal title that is just one word (for example, Nature), be sure to click the radio button for an exact search.

    How can I find a journal article in IUCAT?
    IUCAT is a listing of the materials that the Indiana University Libraries own in all IU libraries around the state. It includes books and other materials we own, journal titles to which we subscribe, and electronic resources we purchase for users on individual campuses. IUCAT does NOT list journal articles. If you have a citation, search for the journal title to learn what journal issues are available to you and where they can be found in the library. To find a journal article on your topic when you do not have a citation, use a journal index, such as Academic Search. Your library's web site will have a section for these indexes, usually with a title of Databases or Find Information, or Find Articles.

    How do I find the call number? When I get a list of titles it does not include a call number.
    IUCAT does not include call numbers on title lists because the catalog serves multiple libraries around the state who share a description of the same book. Sometimes copies of the books in different libraries have different call numbers. To find the call number, click on the title of the book. It is underlined, just like links on any standard web page. This will take you to a fuller description (record). The owning library, shelving location, call number, and whether the book is checked out will appear on this description screen.

    Do I have to log in to IUCAT?
    It is not necessary to log in to IUCAT to search the catalog. Anyone may click the Guest Access button and enter without logging in. Login is only necessary to use electronic resources from off-campus and to use services that are tied to your library account, such as My Account and Request Delivery. Login is available to students, faculty, staff and other persons affiliated with a campus or library of Indiana University. It is based on your network ID and password. These are issued by the University Information Technology Services (UITS) Office on each campus. The network ID and password are also used for access to Oncourse or OneStart and are frequently used for email access as well.

    When I connect from off-campus, why do you make me log in twice?
    When you connect through an off-campus Internet Service Provider, you will be prompted to log in twice. The first login takes you through your local campus proxy server to allow you to access electronic books, databases and journals that are restricted by their subscriptions only to persons affiliated with a particular IU campus. This is required by the vendors who sell us such material. The second login connects you to your library account to allow you to use services such as My Account and Request Delivery.

    Questions and comments? Click on the ASK button at the top of the screen, or send email to the IUCAT Working Group