Books Intro
Books are a great source for background information. They are not such a great option for up-to-date statistics or cutting edge research because of the amount of time they take to publish. If you find a book that looks like it might be useful, look at the table of contents and index and try to find the topic keywords you identified. If you can't find your keywords, the book is probably not going to be helpful for your research. If the keywords are in certain chapters, you can identify which sections you'll want to read.
What is a call no.(number)?
A call no. is a series of letters and numbers that explains where in the library the item is located. Books are organized by similar subjects, so it can be helpful to look around at books on the library shelves near it to find other books that may also be what you are looking for.
Using the Library Catalog
What is a Call No.?
It's a series of letters & numbers that organizes books in the library by similar subjects.
Find a Library Book
How to Read a Call No.
Example of a complete call number DA 36 .A55
| Line 1 | DA |
| Line 2 | 36 |
| Line 3 | .A55 |
Line 1 |
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Books are arranged in alphabetical order, by the letters on the first line of the call number. Example: first come all the D call numbers, then all the DA call numbers, then DB, etc. |
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Line 2 |
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Within the DA call numbers, books are arranged in number order. The numbers are arranged in numerical from low to high. |
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Line 3 |
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The letters are in alphabetical order. Then read the numbers, but BEWARE! The numbers are not whole numbers, they are decimal numbers. A55 is read as A .55. This is why A55 comes before A6 (A .55, A .6, A .65, etc.) |
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