THE KEY TO THE LIBRARY
UNLOCK THE MYSTERIES
OF LOCATING A BOOK.
HOW CAN I FIND A BOOK ON ...?
USE THE LIBRARY CATALOGUE !!
This is the Key
But, if it is going to work, you need to know
how to use it.
Once upon a time you would have searched
through a drawer of cards which were nicely
arranged by author, title, or subject.
You had to be in the library to do this.
Times have changed.
You can access webcat remotely at http://webcat.vsb.bc.ca, or you
can use a computer in the library.
There are two kinds of books in the library.
Fiction – stories that are Non-Fiction – information
make believe. about real life.
If you know the author, We use the Dewey
the books are arranged Decimal System to
alphabetically by arrange the books by
author’s last name. subject, and then by
If you know the title, author.
you can search the You can do a keyword
catalogue for the search for your subject.
author’s name.
Let’s search for the author.
This page shows us where to find the book, how many copies there
are, and which of those are checked in.
“Do you have any books on primates?”
Most topics are too large for
a research paper, so we
have to narrow them down.
Subject searches can help
you think about this.
Think of more than one
word to describe your topic.
Choose a few “key” words
connected to your subject,
and do a subject keyword
search.
If you don’t know much about your topic, you can do some
background reading in an encyclopedia from the shelf or online.
You can try a basic search to see if the library has any books on this
topic.
The title and the call number are the keys to finding these books.
Try using another term and searching again.
We found one other title with this search.
If we do a keyword search for “gorillas” we discover there is also a
biography of Dian Fossey.
So, how do I know where the book is?
599.8 This is the call number. It tells you where to
Nap find the book. Find the end of the 500’s
section, and look for the 599’s. There may
be several books with 599.8, or there may
be only a few. “Nap” means that the
author’s name begins with those letters.
The books are filed numerically first and
then alphabetically.
The key to unlocking the mysteries of the library is in
your hands.
Now that you have some
books to look for, it’s
time to head for the
stacks.
The key: use Webcat; use
keywords; do more than
one search; the numbers
on the spine of the book
tell you where to look for
it.
Here is an overview of the Dewey Decimal System.
000-99 Computer Science
100 Psychology; Paranormal; Dreams; Philosophy
200 Religion
300 Social Sciences; Political Science; Economics; Law; Transportation;
Customs; Folklore
400 Language; Dictionaries
500 Math; Astronomy; Physics; Chemistry; Earth Science; Paleontology; Ecology;
Plants; Zoology; Fish; Birds; Mammals
600 Technology; Medical Sciences; Engineering; Agriculture; Food; Sewing;
Childcare; Accounting; Chemical Engineering; Building
700 Arts and Recreation; Philosophy; Architecture; Sculpture; Drawing;
Graphic Novels; Photography; Music; Recreational and Performing Arts
800 Literature; Poetry; Drama; Essays; Shakespeare;
900 Geography; Biography; Ancient History; European History; Asian History;
African History; North American History; South American History; Oceania
History
