Find a Book or Video in the Library

Research Help Appointments

Need help with your research? A reference librarian is like a tutor for finding and citing information. Schedule an appointment to get uninterrupted individual time with a librarian.

This page will explain how to use PCC Library search to:

Search for books and videos

1. Use the “Books, videos, & more” search box on the PCC Library homepage.
2. Make sure the “Books, videos, & more” tab is selected.
3. Enter a title, author, or keyword into the search box and select the magnifying-glass search button on the right.

4. If you want to refine your results by a particular format (like print books, journals, or DVDs): on the left side of the screen, locate the “Format” section and select the format you’re interested in, such as “DVD Videos” or “Print Books”.

Tip: Excluding option

When you check the crossed-out check box icon to the right of each format option, it will exclude that option from your search.

Find course reserves

Search course reserves by selecting the “course reserves” tab on the library homepage:

Use the “Course Number and Name” or “Course Instructor” sections on the left of the screen to refine a completed search to find items by a course number or instructor:

Learn more about course reserves for students.

Find items available now

Use the “Availability” or “Library” sections on the left of the screen to refine your search results by: items available online, open access, or at a particular PCC campus library.

Get Physical items (Print Books/DVDs)

Available at PCC

Items in your search results that say “Available at…” and the name of a PCC campus should be located at that campus library.

NOTE: an item may be available at several PCC campuses. Click the “Available at” link to see where else the item may be located.

You can use the “Availability” section on the left to see if an item is available online. You can use the “Library” section underneath “Availability” to refine your results list to items at a specific PCC campus.

Request from another library

If one of your search results says “Request from another library” you may request it from another library. Items can be requested from a PCC library or from libraries in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Both physical and digital items (e.g. articles or electronic book chapters delivered as PDFs) may be requested. See our page on “requesting library materials” to learn how to request materials from another library.

Get Electronic Items (Ebooks or Online Videos)

  1. Refine your search results to show only items available online by using the “Availability” section on the left side of the screen and choosing “Online Resources”. You can also select “eBooks” under “Format” when available.
  2. Click “Online Access” for any item you want to view.
  3. If you’re located off campus, you may be asked to sign in with your PCC username and password to view ebooks, evideos, or other online content through the library. Once you sign in, you should be taken directly to the page on which you can view the streaming video or download and read the ebook you’ve chosen. 

Learn more about using ebooks through the Ebook Central platform and using audiobooks and ebooks through Overdrive and the Libby app.