How do I find books about topics in my major?

*** You might also want to see my post about the utility of subject searching. ***

The best trick is to check the Library of Congress Classification System Table.

Materials are arranged in the LOC Classification System first by general subject area (lettered A – Z), and then broken down and focused by the addition of more letters and numbers.  The ‘alphabetical designation’ of a certain subject is given in the first set of one or two letters.  Take note of this!  And then…

Use the stacks map to determine where this call number would be located on the shelves.

I suggest you then go shelf browsing!  See what we’ve got, and find out if any new topics within your major area pique your interest.

Picking up materials on Course Reserve

Sometimes, a professor will anticipate heavy use of certain library holdings – for instance, your class textbook. They may elect to put these materials on “Course Reserve.”

Reserves can be checked out for two hours at a time from the Circulation Desk – the same place you go to check out any materials.

You can look up what materials your professor has on reserve by using this form.

If you know the title of a text that is on reserve, and need to quickly look up the call number for the staff at the Circulation Desk, simply do a title search (change the drop down menu from ‘keyword’ to ‘title) on the Libraries’ Homepage.

The Difference Between Subjects & Keywords

A keyword is a search term (in library lingo, we call it an “access point,” because it is a means of accessing information) which will look through the entire text of a catalog record – including the title, author, subject terms, abstract, everything – for the word(s) you entered.

A keyword search can be really great if you’re just browsing, or haven’t narrowed down your research yet. It can be useful for a sort of ’shot-in-the-dark’ search… But it can also turn up a lot of extraneous records if you have a more defined research topic in mind.

If you want to narrow down your search, try using the drop down menu in the catalog and switching your search from “Keyword” to “Subject Heading.” Once you’ve entered a term, you’ll be taken to a list of headings from various different thesauri, sorted in a table. The actual headings appear as links, so choose the one you want, click, and off you go! You’ll also be able to see how many resources we have under that subject heading from the table.

A little about thesauri: In order to help organize resources, librarians develop thesauri so as to standardize the terms used to describe items. It avoids confusion, and helps to bring related resources together under one common descriptor – the subject term. They also show broader and narrower relationships between terms, helping you to quickly broaden and narrow your own subject search!

As always, feel free to ask for more information and help at the Information Desk.

What’s behind the desk

“Ready Reference” materials are resources you might use to look something up quickly. For instance, an encyclopedia or a citation style guide. We have a number of useful tools just behind the reference desk, which include (but are not limited to):

- Style Manuals (how to write papers, citations & create bibliographies);

- Foreign language dictionaries;

- Congressional directories;

- Resources on colleges & universities;

- Business & industry guides;

- A copy of the bible;

- The Encyclopedia of Philosophy;

- Who’s Who;

- World News Digest, Facts on File;

- And a bagillion other statistics & facts!

Please bring a photo ID to the desk to check out these resources.

Library of Congress Classification / Call Numbers

Each call number begins with a letter, which corresponds to a subject area. If you just want to browse generally through, say, the books on your major, you might check out the chart (here on Wikipedia) listing these subject areas.

When trying to find a book in the stacks at Mullen, you might first want to start with the Stacks Map, available online and at the Information Desk.

Next, you’ll need to know how these call numbers work. There is one basic rule you need to remember: Nothing before Something. You can also think of this rule as being equivalent to numerical order.

For instance, the call number “B 75″ comes before “B 110″.

Similarly, “Q 86″ comes before “QE 20″.

If you have any questions, can’t find a book, or would like someone to accompany you into the stacks, always feel free to stop by the Information Desk.

WorldCat

Can’t find it at CUA? Not available through the consortium? What to do?!

I’d suggest trying WorldCat: www.worldcat.org

It’s just what it sounds like – a world catalog! Search for resources, enter your zip code, and see what libraries have the item(s) locally. You might be able to get a copy of something from a local public library (the DC public libraries have many metro-accessible locations), at the Library of Congress, one of the numerous Brookland-area houses of study, the University of Maryland, or any other of the countless area libraries.

And if you’d like us to have the material(s) delivered to the CUA Circulation Desk, just fill out an Interlibrary Loan Request.

CUA Bookstore

The bookstore website is here.

In the “books” section, you can search for textbooks for specific courses. Bring the title, author, and date of publication to the library, and I’ll help you find a copy!