MARQCAT's new look, new features

August 2009--The campus libraries have launched a new, friendlier search engine for their catalog, MARQCAT. The new interface offers some exciting advances that augment, but not entirely replace, the familiar MARQCAT database.

The key innovation of the new catalog is its added ability to retrieve items in the library’s digital collections--digital archives, items in the institutional repository, and articles within e-journals. The new content will appear seamlessly in search results, allowing for discovery across the breadth of campus collections.

Key features of the new catalog platform:

(1) A Google-style search box handles queries as keyword searches. The “More Search Options” link takes users to the older platform, which also has a new appearance. Smarter searching ("Did you mean?") will offer alternate possibilities when new or no results are found.

(2) Results are displayed in the center column in 5 relevance groupings. Cover graphics are now included for most newer books, DVDs, videos and CDs.

(3) Limit or expand a search using the category links (also called "facets"), such as location, material type, and date in the left column.

(4) Use the tag cloud feature on the right to search related topics.

(5) Find articles directly from a core group of the library’s full-text databases (Quick Search) with the article search feature.

(6) View related graphics (supplied by Yahoo) in the right column.

(7) Recently added items also display in the lower right.

The Web-based MARQCAT was introduced in August 1998, so the new interface arrives in time for its 11^th birthday! Users who click on “More search options” will notice that the older catalog has a new look too, but these superficial changes were made to merge the two interfaces.

Try the new search now

Help and more about the new interface

We welcome your questions. Contact the Information Desk’s AskUs! services.