COMP 1500 College Writing

If you need a book on your research topic, search the Library Catalog. The catalog provides information on where to find print books, eBooks, DVDs, videogames, and more. The catalog is not used to find scholarly articles.

To limit your search results to books, refine your search by selecting E-Book or Print Material.

The book in the image above was found by searching the topic "shark research" in the catalog. Now what?

1. The orange box indicates the location, or in which NSU Library you'll find the book. This book is available at the Alvin Sherman Library.

2. The yellow box is the book's call number. Write down or screenshot your book's call number. It is used like an address to find the book on the shelves. (Tip: Ask a Librarian to point you in the right direction!)

3. The blue box indicates the book's status. If the status says AVAILABLE, the item may be checked out at the Circulation Desk. If the status is "DUE" or "LIB USE ONLY," you will not be able to check out the item.

Books are shelved by their call numbers. The call number is assigned based on the book's topic or author. Since books are arranged by call number, you'll often find books with similar subjects near each other on the shelves. A book's call number is available in the library catalog and on the book's spine.

The Alvin Sherman Library uses two different call number classifications. We use both Dewey Decimal and Library of Congress. 

Here is a quick guide where each call number is located: