To find the book you want in this Library, you need to know the book's CALL NUMBER. Call numbers can be found in FOCUS, the library catalog. Every book has a label on the spine with this special number. It usually looks like this:
| R | the first two lines tell you about the subject of the book |
| 733 | |
| W44 | this is usually the first letter of the author's last name |
| 1996 | this tells you the date of the book was published |
Then look at the first letter (or letters) Write down the call number of your book from FOCUS. Read the first letter of your book's call number, then read the second letter, if there is one. In the example above, you first want to find out where "R" section is downstairs on the shelf. When you go downstairs, the letters A-JC are to your right. Letters JC-QK are to your left. The letters QL-Z and oversize books (OV) are on the shelves right in front of you. For example,
| R | comes before | RA | which comes before | RM |
| 16 | 7 | 23 | ||
| C89 | W56 | E9 |
Next, look at the number below this letter. In the first example, that would be "733". On the shelves books are first put in order by letter, then are in number order (R1, R2, R3, .... R100 .... R733, for example).
| R | comes before | R |
| 733 | 2000 | |
| W56 | P43 |
Now read the last part of the call number. Here, the arrangement is also alphabetical but the number is read as a decimal (.62 and .7).
| RA | comes before | RA |
| 121 | 121 | |
| C62 | C7 |
This Library, along with most other academic libraries, uses the Library of Congress (or L.C.) classification system, which arranges books by subject. In many cases, books about similar subjects should be grouped together in the same location. To help you decide which general area to look in, check out the L.C. Classification System Outline which appears below. If you have trouble finding your book on the shelf even if you know the call number, you should ask a librarian for help.
| A | General Works (Includes encyclopedias, almanacs, directories, newsletters) |
| B | Philosophy, Psychology, Religion (Includes philosophy, applied psychology, ethics, etiquette, comparative religion, and theology) |
| C | Archaeology, Genealogy, Biography (Includes history of civilization, archives, calendars, numismatics, heraldry) |
| D | History & Ancient History (Includes world history and history of Western Civilization) |
| E-F | History of America (Includes Pre-Columbian history, United States history, regional and local history, history of Canada) |
| G | Anthropology, Geography, Folklore (Includes geography, exploration, maps, globes, atlases, cartography, oceanography, environmental sciences, human ecology, customs, recreation and leisure) |
| H | Social Sciences, Statistics, Business (Includes statistical methods, demography, economic theory, management, industry and manufacturing, organizational behavior, labor, agriculture, transportation and commerce, finance, marriage and the family, social pathology, social history, communities, criminal justice administration) |
| J | Political Science (Includes theory of government, political institutions and public administration of U.S. and other countries, legislative and executive papers of the U.S., local and municipal government, colonization, international relations) |
| JS | Local Government (towns, cities, municipalities) |
| K | Law (Includes philosophy and theory of law, U.K. and Canadian law, United States Federal and State law, international law, law of the sea, international disputes, peace agreements, international security forces) |
| L | Education (Includes directories of educational institutions, history of education, theory & practice of education) |
| M | Music (Includes instrumental and vocal music, dance and popular music, philosophy of music, music theory, composition, and history, composers and musicians) |
| N | Fine Arts (Includes art history and criticism, museums, exhibitions, architecture, drawing, painting, print media, art patronage, sculpture, decorative and applied arts) |
| P | Languages & Literature (Includes philology and linguistic theory, grammar, language dictionaries, literary theory and criticism, world literature, British and American literature) |
| PN | General and Comparative Literature |
| PR | English Literature |
| PS | American Literature |
| Q | Science (Includes mathematics, astronomy, physics, chemistry, geology, biology, microbiology, botany, zoology, human anatomy & physiology) |
| QA | Mathematics & Computing Science |
| QC | Physics |
| QD | Chemistry |
| R | Medicine (Includes history of medicine, medical directories, public aspects of medicine, medical education, medical technology, biomedical engineering, various fields of medicine incl. nursing and dentistry, homeopathy, pharmaceutical sciences) |
| S | Agriculture (Includes agricultural history and theory, horticulture, forestry, animal culture, veterinary medicine, aquaculture and fisheries, soil science, plant culture, landscaping) |
| T | Technology (Includes industrial directories, engineering, manufacturing engineering, motor vehicles, mining, chemical technology, photography, arts & crafts, home economics incl. nutrition) |
| U | Military Science (Includes military history, administration, maintenence, transportation, artillery, and military engineering) |
| V | Naval Science (Includes naval history, tactics, administration, navies and seamen, navigation, naval architecture and shipbuilding) |
| Z | Bibliography & Library Science (Includes history of books, bookmaking, and writing; the book trade, publishers' directories, library science & education, library directories) |
Remember, you can always ask a Librarian for help at any time.
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