First, pay attention to the location shown in the catalog. The location is important because it tells you where to begin your search.
- If the location is listed as Reference, the book will be located on the second floor, which is the main floor of the library. If the location is Stacks, the books will be located on the Ground or Third Floor:
- Call numbers in the 000s to 500s are in room 120 on the ground floor
- Call numbers in the 600s, 800s and 900s are on the mezzanine on the third floor.
- Call numbers in the 700s are found in the Fine Arts room on the third floor.
- If the location is Kentucky, items are on the third floor, next to the Fine Arts room.
- Items located in Bestsellers or the Main Floor are found in the Reference Room on the main floor.
- Items located in the Ursuline Reading Room or the Ursuline Center for Teaching and Learning are in the conference room near the circulation desk on the main floor.
Most books located in Reference can be checked out for 7 days by current students, faculty, and staff. Students can check out an unlimited number of books in the remaining collection for 4 weeks at a time.
Once you determine the location of the item, use the call number to locate your book on the shelf. In the Dewey Decimal System, call numbers have two parts. The first number indicates the subject and the second part, consisting of letters and numbers, identifies the author and title.
The call numbers range from the 000's to the 900's. There are signs posted on the ends of every shelf which tell you which call numbers are contained within that section.
Since the Dewey system is cataloged first by subject, when you find one book, you can browse the surrounding shelves for other titles like it that may be helpful for you.
