Answered By Library Staff
Last Updated: Jul 18, 2024     Views: 170

Good researchers don't want to waste time or take home a heavy book they won't end up using!

If you've found a book title online or in the Discovery Catalog that you may want to borrow from another campus but aren't sure if it's relevant, it's good to check the table of contents (TOC). Sections and chapter titles can give you insight into what the book is about. 

Sometimes the contents are listed in the record here within the catalog, under "Contents" which you can see when you click on the book title in the search results. 

catalog screenshot where table of contents is 

 

Outside of the catalog, such as in a Google search, using the ISBN can get you to the specific Amazon book or publisher results. Amazon's "Look inside" feature (if the book has it) will give you a preview: 

Amazon screenshot

Once there, you can view the chapter and section titles.  

TOC preview

If you cannot find a preview on Amazon, you might try Google Books (under the "More" option): 

Google books option

Some books may or may not have Google previews. But here is an example of what the preview feature looks like when it does:

preview

Google Books and Amazon previews often have page numbers if it is a print book that has been scanned in.