Welcome to morsel #4 of the Library Instruction Series
Objective:
In the previous discussion we talked about how the library is organized in the physical sense. In this segment we will talk about
how materials are arranged by subject or from an intellectual perspective rather than the physical.
Discussion:
The most oft-repeated question that reference librarians hear is where are the books (or journals) on
a particular subject. This is a tough question to answer because there are a few million books and journals here
and, also, because university libraries generally use the Library of Congress Classification System.
This is a much more elaborate system than the Dewey Decimal System which is often used in
high schools and public libraries. The LC System is both more inclusive and more flexible than the Dewey System
but there is also a down side to it. When you do a search you will often find materials which
appear related, but are located in several different areas of the library. Psychology materials, for example, are
often found in the BF (psychology), the HV(social work & criminal justice) and in
the R (medical)sections.
The first concept to grasp, and you probably know it already is that there is a distinct relationship
between a subject and it's call number. Therefore a book on Pre-Columbian Indians of North America
will be found in E 51 - 73.
wheras books discussing those ancient tribes of Central America, like the Maya, will be located in a completely different area, F1435.
Although browsing through the shelves is not recommended as the best way to research a subject, an understanding of how and why things
are placed can be of great value. It is analagous to knowing how the body works when you are making
certain life style decisions. Getting to know a few areas that interest you will really empower you as a library user. For some people there is a real harmony in how these various classification systems work.
Geology(QE), for example blends beautifully into Biology(QH) by ending with paleobotany and palynology.
Subject Headings are used in a very precise way. If you are searching a library catalog and not sure
that the term you are searching is a subject heading, search under Keywords. To be sure you can check the lists shown here
or if you are in the library, ask to see the red Library of Congress Subject Headingsset. The easiest way is to
search your term as a Keyword and then look at the subject headings listed on the record. At USC, on the web version of the catalog, these subject headings are hyperlinked.
Clicking on one that seems appropriaate will initiate a newer and more precise search than the keyword search.
One thing that you should know is that the same or similar call numbers may be assigned to resources
in different parts of the library. For example, certain books or reference materials might be in the general collection
while a newer version (non-circulating) might be either in the Reference or Science Reference Collection.
Material with similar call numbers might also be found in the Education Library or with Special Collections.
Occasionally, when searching the catalog, you will find a book with both a Library of Congress call number and a Dewey Decimal number.
Before we go into using the catalog, it will help to give you a site where
you can find online versions of both the LC Classification System and the Superintendant of Documents (SuDocs) Classification System.
Note: The first of these is based upon the subject. GovDocs, on the other hand,
are cataloged according to the issuing agency; A for Dept. of Agriculture, D for Dept of Defense, etc.
Many of you will never use Government Documents and others will find them extremely useful.
Objective: The most important tool in this or any library is the catalog. It is the
only way that we can know where an item is located or whether it is in the library. The objective
is to acquaint you with it and show you a related catalog which will increase your library power substantially.
Self-Assessment questions:
- Have you had to find a book or a journal in the USC Libraries yet?
- How did that work out?
- Have you tried Kudzu yet?
Discussion:USCAN is the USC catalog. The newest web-based version is called USCAN Web
and can be accessed at the top of this page by selecting Catalog under the banner.
There is an older one which is often used in the Library. This web-based one is easier to use and easier to read.
One real big advantage over the older version is that it is hyperlinked. With a click of your
mouse you can go directly to an online journal or search for other works by a particular author.
You can search different USC catalogs at once or narrow your search to the Thomas Cooper Library or all of those
located on the Columbia campus.
One of the most important facts to remember about our catalogs is that they will
tell you if we have and where we have books, journals, films, government documents
and anything else that you might need but It Will Not Find Journal ARTICLES.
For those you need to go to one of the bibliographic databases or indexes. Select Indexes
at the top of this page.
 |
Search for a book by ????
The search screen shows your options. Note the pull down arrows in each window.
They indicate that you can change the indexes that will be searched. Note, you can only search in one area at a time.
If you need to combine terms, select Keyword and then put in a subject and author or title. |
USCAN Web Record for books.
Note the hyperlinked areas.
These indicate that you can search for other books by the same author, other volumes within
the series, Lecture Notes in Computer Science or other volumes within any of the listed subject heading.
Particularly noteworthy is the url, providing online access to the volume and series.
Lastly, note the call number which indicates the volume's location within the library. In certain cases you might see
a reference to either a particular reference area or other area within the library. |
Typical Journal Record
| Below is a typical journal entry. This one is indicative of today's change from
paper copy to digital or online format. Notice the url in the Electronic Access box. Also in the
holdings area, there is a statement, Library Has followed by a closed series of years (1996-2001).
That is quite normal, but usually it is followed by a Current Issues section which lists the
unbound single issues. Instead, this record indicates that the only access is through our
Internet or online version. By comparison, the next record indicates that there are several ways to access the journal. |
Journal Holdings Record
 |
| This happens to be the holding record for the journal Science, one of the most important and longest running
journals published in the United States. If the whole record was here, you would see
two points of access for the online editions. In this case, what you see is that the Library has a great many volumes and issues
in paper format. If you look closely in the Notes area you will learn that paper editions from 1883 to 1974
are stored in the annex and you need to request them in advance. It is noteworthy that when the record says "Library Has",
it means, that, yes, we have it but also that it is bound. "Current Issues," on the other hand idicates that these are fairly new, but also,
single, unbound issues. The Notes area will also tell you if issues are in the annex and if current issues
are some place besides where the call number would indicate, such as a display area. A prefix, preceeding the call number can indicate that the journal might be located in an unexpected collection like education or business. |
Final Thoughts
Up to this point,we've toured the library and gotten an idea of how much our information
resources are available online. Those were discussions of how the physical library is arranged.
What you have just seen in this lesson is how the library and its resources are arranged intellectually.
The catalog is the primary tool but having a good idea of how the subject headings relate
to all of the call numbers will give you a great advantage when searching. In the next section,
we will look at the first research tools we need to master, the dictionaries and encyclopedias and
where they are kept, the Reference Department.
Information Literacy Issues As a researcher, you will use published information.
Presumably most of what you need will be on our shelves or online and easily available. Of course, this will not always be the case.
As an IL student, you will need to decide if you really need a piece of information. If you
decide that you do, you can often get it delivered via Interlibrary Loan. We will discuss this procedure soon.
Two important things that you need to do is be sure that we don't have the material here and then order it quickly.
Standard One
The information literate student determines the nature and extent of the information needed.
1-3. The information literate student considers the costs and benefits of acquiring the needed information.
Outcomes Include:
- A. Determines the availability of needed information and makes decisions on broadening the
information seeking process beyond local resources (e.g., interlibrary loan; using resources at
other locations; obtaining images, videos, text, or sound)
- B. Considers the feasibility of acquiring a new language or skill (e.g., foreign or discipline-based)
in order to gather needed information and to understand its context
- C. Defines a realistic overall plan and timeline to acquire the needed information (Get into the
habit of placing interlibrary loans immediately upon determining that you need it and it is not in
a campus library. As an undergraduate, you can have 10 ILL requests active at a time.)
Questions, comments or make an appointment with the Inquiry Librarian.
