How can I find the book that I need on the shelf?
Answer
We shelve our books by Library of Congress Call number. When you find a book in Thomas Library's Catalog, you will see a call number if the book is in print. Electronic books have links to the online text.
The record for the book should look something like this:
The location is shown as "Thomas Library Main Stacks" which are located on the third floor.
On the spine of the book, the call number will look like this:
To find the book on the shelf:
Read the top line in alphabetically order -- A, B, C, D... O, P, PA, PB... PR, PS...
The second line read as a whole number -- 1, 2, 3... 35, 36, 37... 311, 312, 313... 3510, 3511, 3512...
The third line is a combination of numbers and letters. First look alphabetically for the letter, then look for the number BUT here you will treat it as a decimal when you put it in order. --- .I7 comes before .I8, comes before ,I85 comes before .I9 comes before .I95
Read the fourth line (if there is one) just like you read the third line even if there isn't a decimal symbol shown.
The last line is often the year and those will also be treated as whole numbers.
If you have trouble locating the book you need on the shelf, come to the Circulation Desk or the Reference Office, we are happy to help you find what you need.