Browsing The Library Remotely: Finding Tables Of Contents

It can be challenging to find a table of contents for a book that you can't physically interact with. Here are some options you can try:

WorldCat Discovery

If you look up a book in WorldCat Discovery, you can often find its table of contents.

  1. Search for the book as you normally would
  2. When you've selected a book and can see its record on the right hand side of your screen, click the arrow symbol next to View Description.
  3. If there is a section labeled Contents, it should contain the table of contents for that book.

Screenshot of a WorldCat Discovery record with the contents section highlighted.

Google Books

Some items in Google Books also have visible tables of contents.

  1. Search for the book as you normally would.
  2. Check to see if there is a Preview available; books that lack this functionality will usually have a label on the page indicating that a preview is unavailable.
  3. If there is a preview available, access it by clicking the Preview button.
  4. Use the < and > symbols at the top of the page to navigate through the preview to look for the table of contents.

Screenshot of a Google Books record with the Preview button highlighted.

Amazon

If you follow a similar procedure as with Google Books, you can often find a table of contents for books listed on Amazon.

  1. Search for the book on Amazon as you normally would.
  2. Check to see if the Look Inside functionality is available. If it is, click on the image of the book's cover to access it.
  3. Use the arrow symbols at the sides of the preview to navigate through and look for the table of contents.

Publisher's websites

If you know the publisher of a book, you can also search for the book on their website and see if they include a table of contents. Availability can vary tremendously, but if no other options get you the information you need, it's worth investigating.

Tag » Where Is The Table Of Contents Found In A Book