The online catalog offers a variety of ways for searching, for example: keyword, author, title, or subject; 

It will tell us where in the building a physical item is, for example: Reference Books (3rd floor), AV: Videos (DVDs) at Circ Desk, or Main book collection (A-P, 1st floor; Q-Z, 4th floor);

Or if its available electronically, for example: US online document--click on Linked Resources or Online book--click on Linked Resources

Think about the topic you've selected or if you don't have a topic think about what area you might want to explore-write down some possible terms or keywords and try searching them.   For example: fast food, food science, or vegetarians

Tips:

• Start with broad searches using keyword(s). It is much easier to discard too much rather than start with too little.
• If you don't know the Subject Heading, use the Subjects, etc. tab located on the top of a catalog record to get to the headings. This will help you focus in on more relevant material.   For example: food science leads to the subject headings genetically modified foods, food--biotechnology, and a reference to nutrition. 
• "Virtually" browse the shelves by clicking on the call number in a record.

Another good place to look, especially if you're not sure about a topic, is in the Reference section. 

Materials such as encyclopedias, handbooks, and almanacs provide overviews, summaries, and/or brief explanations of topic or subject areas.

Here are some suggested Reference materials: