How do I find a book on the shelf?
Answer
In most of our collections, our books are not organized by title or by author last name. Our books are organized by topic using a system called Library of Congress classification. This is helpful because when you find your book on the shelf, you are able to see other books on that topic right around it, giving you the chance to find titles that you may not have otherwise thought to search for.
When you search in our catalog and find a book, you will see its location, its call number and its status (checked in, checked out, missing, etc.). Make sure you write down its call number and which floor it is on. Once you have that information, you can go to the correct floor and locate the book by looking for call number ranges on the edges of the shelves. Call numbers are organized alphabetically and numerically.
If I were trying to find TX651.M268 1990, I would go to the Ts, then the TXs, then find the 651, then 651.M and so on.
