POSI 2304: Introduction to Political Science: Finding books

Types of Searches

Keyword

• Combine terms using AND.
• This search returns records that contain words that match exactly what you typed in.
• This is often (but not always) the best place to start.

Subject

• Catalog uses pre-defined subjects. 
• This type of search works well if you are browsing for a particular subject that you know or a broad term. So if you aren't finding anything, switch to the keyword search instead.
• Subjects are arranged using the Library of Congress Classification system.

Author

• Author searches are for looking for items a particular person has authored or written.
• The library catalog works best if you type in searches in the format "Lastname, Firstname."
• If you want books about a person, search for their name by subject.

Title

• Use this search if you know the title of the material that you want.

Understanding Call number order

Library of Congress call numbers should be read one line at a time as follows:

Example of a complete call number, DA 36 .A55:

1. First, look at Line 1:

   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

    

2. Next, look at Line 2:

   Within the DA call numbers, books are arranged in number order.

   The numbers are arranged in numerical from low to high.

    
3. Then look at Line 3:

   Line 3 of the call number has a letter and a number. The letters are in alphabetical order. Then read the numbers-but BEWARE!

   The numbers are not WHOLE numbers, they are DECIMAL numbers.

   Example: A55 is read as A .55 - this is why A55 comes before A6 (A .55, A .6, A .65, etc.)