Our OverDrive collection offers popular e-books and downloadable audiobooks. Browse the collection at http://pitt.lib.overdrive.com. We're adding to it all the time, so check back frequently to see our new titles!
Our collection has evolved to include a large selection of ebooks to complement our large volume of print holdings (5.5 million and counting), our goal has not changed -- we still wish to support your research needs through a carefully tailored and comprehensive library collection.
So whether you are trying to dig up information about an obscure topic, or you want a thriller to take with you on the flight to your next conference, the information on this page should help you navigate the ULS book collection.
PittCat is the main searching tool for all of the materials owned by the University Library System (ULS), including articles, books, ebooks, journal articles, ejournals, audio and video, digital images, government documents, microfilm and movies.
Signing into PittCat gives you access to the most results. The sign in option is in the upper right hand corner of your screen.
To begin a search, enter a term in the “search anything” box. You can select Books, Articles, and More to search for items across the entire library system including journal articles, images, ebooks, and more. Use the Library Catalog option to search for items available both electronically and physically in our libraries such as books, videos, music scores and more. The Course Reserves option will help you find materials put on reserve by instructors for a specific course.
The Results Screen shows you a list of items with basic information--click on a title to get a more detailed overview of the item you’ve selected. This detailed view gives you much more information about the item. You can see where the item is located and ways to email or print the record as well as how to cite. You may also see an abstract for the item or a table of contents if available.
You can Refine Your Results by using the menu on the left. If you only want a physical copy of the book pick “library holdings” or if you want an electronic copy of a book, choose e-book.
If Full-Text Content is available, you can get the full-text by clicking on the item title or the "available online" link.
You can add Boolean Operators (AND, OR, NOT) into the Simple Search (the default search box) by adding them in all caps.
You can request material through PittCat using Get It, even for material that we do not own. You must be signed in and then click on the item you need. Options within the item:
If you have any questions about this, please contact us so we can work with you to try and get the material you need.