Locating Items in the CCSU Library (and other college libraries)

1. LSC 150, session 3, part 1Items on the Library ShelvesHow they get where they are: Method or Madness??

2. Locating Items in the CCSU Library (and other college libraries) • We need a system to find items. To help the process, librarians catalog information. • Cataloging refers to identifying items in an orderly and logical manner so people can easily locate them.

3. Subject Classification • Remember subject headings* and descriptors (last week’s class)? • In an effort to impose order on people’s IDEAS, librarians developed several similar systems of CLASSIFICATION. • CLASSIFICATION refers to keeping library items together on the shelves based on the topics covered by the items. • CLASSIFICATION is based on the *SUBJECT CONTENTof the items.

4. Two classification systems are preferred: • Dewey Decimal system • subjects are represented by numerals • Example: 927.1 • Library of Congress Classification System • subjects are “Alphanumeric” • possibilities for more expansion • Example BL123 .N46 1990 • Most universities use the “LC” System • Public libraries use “Dewey”

5. You’d expect items on similar subjects to be found near each other, wouldn’t you? For example • Books on the American Revolution should be shelved near each other • Books on job interviewing should be shelved near each other • Books on art history should be shelved neared each other

6. Each library item that is cataloged has a “Call Number.” • The first part of the “Call Number” refers to an item’s subject content. This part of the “Call Number” is known as the “Classification number” HF5382.7 A32 1992 Classification number

7. Each library item that is cataloged has a “Call Number.” • For example: • Here is the call number • for a book entitled • Getting Hired When Times are Tough • HF5383C671987 • His for Social Sciences • HFisCommerce (business) • HF5000 etc. • is Vocational Guidance HF5383 C67 1987

8. CONSIDER THE SUBJECTS AND CALL NUMBERS OF THESE THREE BOOKS: • TITLE The complete resume & job search book for college students / by Bob Adams with Laura Morin. • SUBJECT Job hunting. • Employment interviewing. • Applications for positions. • CCSU Stack Level 4 HF5382.7 A32 1992 Notice that the SUBJECTS are related and the ITEMS are shelved near each other in CALL NUMBER order. This helps you BROWSE • TITLE The work book : getting the job you want / by J. Michael Farr • SUBJECT Job hunting. • Vocational guidance. • CCSU Stack Level 4 HF5383 F37 2004 • TITLE Your first interview : everything you need to know to "ace" the interview process and get your first job / by Ron Fry. • SUBJECT Employment interviewing. • Job hunting. • CCSU Stack Level 4 HF5549.5 I6 F79 1991

9. This, fortunately, follows for all subject areas TITLE A history of Florida / by Charlton W. Tebeau. SUBJECT Florida --History. CCSU Stack Level 3 F311 T42 TITLE Missions of old Texas /by Walter Barone SUBJECT Alamo (San Antonio, Tex.) --Siege, 1836. CCSU Stack Level 3 F389 B95 1971 TITLE The Alamo remembered : Tejano accounts and perspectives / by Timothy M. Matovina. SUBJECT Alamo (San Antonio, Tex.) --Siege, 1836. CCSU Stack Level 3 F390 M485 1995 TITLE Castro's colony : empresario development in Texas, 1842-1865 / by Bobby Weaver SUBJECT Texas --History --Republic, 1836-1846 CCSU Stack Level 3 F390 W37 1985

10. What does the rest of the“CALL NUMBER” signify? • The next set of letter(s) and numbers following the Classification Number is called the “Cutter” number and is based on the author’s name. Following that is (sometimes) the date and copy number. Cutter Number BF301 U56 1991 c4 The Cutter number, in this case U56, usually stands for the author’s last name 1991 is the publication date c4 is the copy number

11. What does the rest of the“CALL NUMBER” signify? Cutter Number • The next set of letter(s) and numbers following the Classification Number is called the “Cutter” number and is based on the author’s name. Following that is (sometimes) the date and copy number. BF301 U56 1991 c4 The Cutter number, in this case U56, usually stands for the author’s last name. Important: the Cutter Number is always read as a decimal number. So U56 is really .U56 1991 is the publication date c4 is the copy number

12. The order of books on the shelves in the “STACKS” 1) Basic alphabetical order

13. The order of books on the shelves in the “STACKS” 2) within a single letter, or classification, such as "H", alphabetical order is still used. "H" comes before "HA”, which comes before “HD", which comes before "HL", etc.

14. The order of books on the shelves in the “STACKS” 3) When books have the same first line in a call number, they are shelved in numerical order, looking at the second line.

15. The order of books on the shelves in the “STACKS” 4) If the first two lines of a call number are the same, books are shelved by the third line of the call number, which is a decimal arrangement – even if the decimal sign is omitted!

16. PR 7 .R79835 PS 3571 P4 1977 741.59493 PN 1997 PS3571 P39 NB 170

17. PN 1997 PS3571 P39 NB 170 PR 7 .R79835 PS 3571 P4 1977 NOTE! P39 is read as .P39 and is shelved before P4, which is read as .P4 741.59493 (Drawings, cartoons, Graphic novels) DEWEY

18. If library items are shelved by subject -- Where do the subject headings come from?

19. The Subject Headings are actually devised by the Library of Congress. There are over 250,000 LCSH • The subjects are governed by a “controlled vocabulary” thesaurus. So although we might call a subject by a popular phrase, the actual subject heading could be quite different. LCSH = Library of Congress Subject Headings

20. For example, we might be thinking of a topic and calling it • “GUN CONTROL,” • but the LCSH calls the same topic “FIREARMS--LAW AND LEGISLATION.” • When we are searching for items by subject, we need to know the correct LCSH heading.

21. Library of Congress Subject Headings are listed in five volumes and you’ll find them in the Reference Dept. (3rd Floor) and the Circulation Dept. (2nd Floor) at the CCSU Elihu Burritt Library. Most academic libraries have them readily available at places where you would need them.

22. Here is a sample entry from the LCSH(taken from one of the five “red volumes”) Imprisonment (May Subd Geog) UF Confinement Incarceration BT Corrections RT Prisons SA subdivision Imprisonment under names of individual persons NT Arrest Debt, Imprisonment for False Imprisonment Imprisonment False USE False Imprisonment

23. Imprisonment (May Subd Geog) UF Confinement Incarceration BT Corrections RT Prisons SA subdivision Imprisonment under names of individual persons NT Arrest Debt, Imprisonment for False Imprisonment Imprisonment False USE False Imprisonment In this example, note that UF means “use Imprisonment instead of Confinement or Incarceration.” A term that is broader (BT) than Imprisonment is Corrections -- and it is a LCSH. Prisons is a good term too; it is related (RT) to Imprisonment. SA means “See Also” and suggests other possible ways to deal with the topic. NT is “Narrower Term.”

24. Important note: • If you DO NOT know the correct LCSH, it is a good practice to begin your online catalog search by performing a KEYWORD SEARCH • This will lead you to the correct LCSH, which you may choose to search on to find additional relevant items. • Still, it is important to understand the LCSHs.

25. Library Catalogs You Might Use • CONSULS – SCSU, ECSU, WCSU, CCSU, Connecticut State Library in Hartford, CT • reQuest-- reQuest is the Statewide Library Catalog of Connecticut. In reQuest, you can search over three million individual titles located in over two hundred Connecticut libraries at once. • WorldCat --Over 41,000,000 “records” Datescovered: before 1000 BC to present, Scope: books, manuscripts, computer data files, maps, computer programs, musical scores …

26. Example: Here is the result of a KEYWORD search for the topic of reparations and slavery notice that 9 items were retrieved

27. Our KEYWORD SEARCH Has lead us to a relevant item. We now can look at what LCSHs the Library of Congress has used to describe this item, and we may “click” on listed headings to find more items on the topic.

28. Searching Basics:“It’s all in how you say it” LSC 150 Session 3, part 2

29. Successfully Searching Databases • Requires skill in formulating search strategies • Various approaches

30. Assignment: find information on the “effect of a person’s ethnic background on their ability to achieve in school” Natural language approach ethnic background effects on achievement in school Boolean approach ethnic background AND achievement AND school (This is called a “search strategy”)

31. and there are other ways to say that: ethnicity and achievement and school Or ethnicity and scholastic achievement Or ethnicity and educational achievement These are alternative “search strategies” Sometimes it is advantageous to use several strategies.

32. use a search strategy so powerful that you could do all that in one search ethnic background or ethnicity And school or scholastic or educational And achievement or success or attainment

33. Successful searching involves • Choosing the “right words” • Correct spelling • Knowledge of the “operators” • Special words to connect (combine) search terms • AND • OR • NOT

34. the “AND” operator (narrows) ethnic background AND achievement AND school ethnic back- ground school Aaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaa aa achievement

35. the “OR” operator (broadens) ethnic background OR ethnicity AND achievement ethnic back- ground ethnicity Aaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaa aa aaa aAaaaa aaaaaa aaa aAaaaa aaaaaa achievement

36. the “NOT” operator (excludes) police AND dogs NOT dobermans Aaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaa aa police dogs dobermans

37. The topic “Legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes”may be broken down into: legalize AND marijuana AND medicinal (Perhaps you can pose this query differently and find more information) That is, perhaps you can formulate alternative “search strategies”

38. Strategy #1 – Generate other terms • legalize OR law OR legislate • marijuana OR marihuana OR cannabis • medicinal OR medical OR illness OR disease OR sickness OR AIDS

39. Strategy #2 – Employ special characters if possible (truncation) legal* OR law OR legislat* marijuana OR marihuana OR cannabis medic* OR illness* OR disease* OR sickness* OR AIDS

40. Put it all together (legal* OR law OR legislat*) AND (marijuana OR marihuana OR cannabis) AND (medic* OR illness* OR disease* OR sickness* OR AIDS)

41. Put it all together Truncation/wildcard symbols (legal* OR law OR legislat*) AND (marijuana OR marihuana OR cannabis) AND (medic* OR illness* OR disease* OR sickness* OR AIDS) Boolean / logical operators Spelling variations/ ”synonymous” or alternative terms

42. Search strategy worksheet Ethics of physician assisted suicide Concept A Concept B Euthanasia ethic* OR OR Physician-assisted AND bioethic* suicide OR OR Mercy killing moral*

43. What other assistance is available to the database user? • Most databases offer some kind of “HELP” to the user; but it’s up to the user to find, read, understand, and use the “HELP” that is offered. FAQ