Finding Books in the Science Library
- Search OBIS, our online catalog.
- Note carefully the LOCATION, CALL NUMBER and AVAILABILITY of the items you want.
- Locations are indicated on the Science Library Floor Map. The location "Science Library" is primarily the central area marked books. Other types of materials are shelved separately, as shown by the different colors and labels on the map.
- Reserve materials are behind the circulation desk.
About Call Numbers
As in all campus libraries, both the Library of Congress (LC) and Dewey Decimal (DD) classification systems have been used to catalog books.
| LC classification | DD classification |
| Began use in 1975 | Used for books cataloged before 1975, and for just a few continuing series |
Call numbers begin with letter(s), followed by whole numbers. Decimals often follow, then a letter and more decimals. Example: QH 541.5 .E25 |
Call numbers
begin with whole numbers, followed by a letter and decimals, with or without lower-case letter(s) at the end. The decimal point is not explicit. Example: 545 M27a |
Dewey classified books are in the last section of compact shelving (following the journals).
Most of the Dewey-classed science books in the library's collections are in storage, in the old Carnegie library. You cannot retrieve those materials yourself. Please fill out a storage-request form at the circulation desk or use the REQUEST feature of OBIS. Trips are made to storage once a day, Monday through Friday.