How to Use AGELIB

A tutorial from the IOA Information Center

What is AGELIB?

AGELIB is an exciting combination of library catalog and digital library. It is a database of the aging-related resources of the UNC Institute on Aging Information Center -- everything from books and journals to web sites and electronic documents.

What will you find in AGELIB?

The following types of materials are included in AGELIB:

• Books & monographs about aging
• Journals, newsletters, and other periodicals about aging
• Theses and dissertations written by students in North Carolina about aging
• Reports, unpublished papers, and other "grey literature" of aging
• Web sites of aging-related organizations
• Digital documents about aging
• Audiovisual materials about aging

AGELIB is the library catalog of the IOA Information Center, but it is also much more. Using AGELIB, you can search our library collections, link to digital resources, and access online documents.

If you would like to know how we decide what goes into AGELIB, read our collection policy. If you have items that you would like to suggest for inclusion, or if you have items that you would like to donate to our collection, please contact us with the details.

AGELIB Search Tips

You can either search or browse AGELIB. Searching gives you the most control over your results.

Search tips include:

• Use simple, one- or two-word phrases in each box when possible. Your search will have an automatic wildcard on either side.
• You do NOT have to fill out all the fields.
• The search form searches for literal strings, so a search for aging and health will search for those three words, in a row. Boolean searching (combining terms with AND, OR, NOT) is not supported.
• Do not include commas, hyphens, apostrophes, or other types of marks in your searches. See the next point for suggestions on search terms.
• The entries in the Subject field come from the AARP AgeLine Thesaurus of Aging Terminology, 8th ed. In general, use specific subjects (i.e. try not to use general words like "aging" or "gerontology"). It may help to review the entire list of subject terms used. We also recommend that you use the Thesaurus (also available in print in our library) to understand how the keywords are defined.
• Capitalization does not matter for searching.
• To find only those records that have a web link, search for http in the URL field.

Where is AGELIB located?

AGELIB is available on the web at http://www.aging.unc.edu/infocenter/agelib/

Once I Identify a Resource in AGELIB, Where Can I Find It?

If the resource is available electronically, the AGELIB record will have a direct link to the item. Otherwise, look at the Call Number field in the record. This will tell you where to find the item in our library, which is located at the main IOA offices in Chapel Hill, NC. See our Services for information about borrowing.