Searching for Books: Overview
Scholarly books, ranging from general to specific information on a given topic, can be great sources for research papers. Review the table below to compare the differences between scholarly books and popular non-fiction books.
You can use QuickSearch to locate and request books held at any of the Rutgers libraries.
Rutgers also has access to thousands of scholarly electronic books in ProQuest Ebook Central.
Additional Ways to Find Books
You can also search for books in other locations outside of the Rutgers libraries.
Online booksellers or consolidated catalogs can be great places to locate additional books. Rutgers Libraries may still have these books; therefore, once you locate a book using external sources, use QuickSearch to search the Rutgers Libraries for that specific title.
External Catalogs:
- Google Books provides information on millions of books, and many of these titles allow you to search for terms inside of the book.
- WorldCat offers more than 110 million bibliographic records representing holdings information from libraries in forty-five countries. Many New Jersey libraries, including Rutgers, contribute on a daily basis. WorldCat includes resources in 400 languages, dating from before 1000 BC to the present.
Tips for Accessing Books
If the book you've identified is available at Rutgers, you can visit one of the libraries listed under "Locations" to retrieve it. If those locations are not convenient, sign in with your NetID to have the book sent to the library location most convenient to you.
If the book you want is not available in QuickSearch, search EZBorrow to request a copy from our local lending partners. EZBorrow is the shared catalog of PALCI, a large network of regional academic and large public libraries.
If the book is not available through EZBorrow, submit a request to find the book in UBorrow, the member libraries of the Big Ten Academic Alliance. Starting May 1st, 2024, access UBorrow through ILLiad. If you can't find your book in EZBorrow or UBorrow, try searching in ILLiad, a worldwide search for the hardest-to-locate items, and let our staff try to locate the book for you. Please note that turnaround time varies depending on geographic location and most institutions are unable to lend e-books through interlibrary loan.