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Library Basics: Library Catalog

Helpful Definitions

The online library catalog provides a searchable record of all the items the library owns or has access to. In the case of digital materials like articles, ebooks and videos, the catalog may provide direct access to those resources. Click here to access the library catalog.

The library catalog also has filters that allow users to refine their search results to better meet their research goals. Our library catalog will let you filter by: availability (in-library, physical book, or online, digital resource), resource type, publication date, and subject. 

A group of letters and numbers found on the spine or lower cover of books that are used to organize and locate resources in the library. Call numbers are the “address” a book on the shelf. For example, our copy of "The Complete Oxford Shakespeare" has the call number: PR2754 .W45 1994. Our library is arranged according the Library of Congress Classification System. 

If you ever need help finding a book, come ask one of the Houff librarians!

The classification system used in academic libraries to order books on the shelf. Books on the same topic are shelved together. This means that if you find one book on the shelf that matches your research topic, there might also be another in that same area that will work as well. 

Located behind the information desk, course reserves are textbooks that can be checked out and used only in the library. If your teacher mentions the library has a book on reserve, please come ask us about it!

Finding Books and eBooks Using the Library Catalog

The following is an overview of using the library catalog. For a fuller description, with images of the searching process, click through the tabs above. 

  1. To find books or e-books using our online catalog, go to the library homepage, and use the link for "Library Catalog."

  2. Perform a search for your desired book. You may get a large number of results. Use the filters on the righthand side of the screen to narrow down those results. You can choose to look for a specific material type using the Resource Type filter.

  3. To find a physical book in our collection, choose the "Held by Library" option under the Availability filter.

  4. There are several places books can be in our library. "Reserve" materials can be found behind the front desk. Books in the "Circulating Collection" are located in the stacks around the library. Please ask a librarian for assistance locating materials. 

  5. "Online Access" materials are available through links directly in the catalog. To look for e-books specifically, choose "Books" under Resource Type and "Full Text Online" under Availability. Click the link in the record under View Online to access the e-book.

To find books or electronic books using our online catalog, go to the main library homepage, and use the link for our "Library Catalog."

You will be taken to our Online catalog. You can begin your search by typing a keyword into the "search anything" box, or use the advanced search option at the right. 

Start your research journey by putting a word or term into the search bar. The results will provide a variety of resource types, including physical books on our shelves, ebooks, database articles, web resources, and many, many more. Our search for "video games" reflects this--coming back with over 145,000 results. To narrow down these results to just books in our physical and digital holdings, use the filters on the right. 

Looking through over 145,000 results is an impossible task, but luckily the catalog has the ability to filter your results into a more manageable amount. For example, maybe you are looking for a book you can checkout from Houff Library. To filter the results to show just physical books that we have here, check the box next to "Held by Library" under the Availability filter, and "Books" under Resource Type. This will limit the results to those on our shelves at Houff.

As seen below, this narrows our results to just a few resources. You can click on the title to find out more information about a book, or grab it from our shelves by using the call number (seen in purple). Your active filters are remembered by the catalog, so if you want to change any of these either press reset, or X out of filters individually. If you have any questions about finding a book in Houff, please ask one of the librarians at the information desk.

Call numbers are the address or location for books in the library. Within the library, books can be found in the following areas:

  • Reserve - books behind the information desk that are usually for in-house library use only. 

  • Circulating Collection - located in "the stacks," and can be borrowed for four weeks. 

  • Online Access - books available online to read on the internet. You can access these books anywhere. If you are off-campus, you will need your myBRCC credentials to access e-resources. For more information, check out our off-campus access guide.

Please ask the library staff if you need help locating a book! To learn more about our circulation policies and how to navigate the library stacks, please see this guide on Houff Library Resources.

catalog item example

To access e-books, use the filters at the right and check the box next to "Full Text Online" under the Availability filter, and "Books" under Resource Type. This will limit the results to materials in our digital holdings.

Once you have decided on an ebook to read, you can access the text by clicking into the catalog record and accessing the database link in the "View Online" section of the record. This link will open in a new tab and will usually provide options to either read the book online, or download to your device. 

Photo ID Required to Check Out All Library Materials

Photo ID image

Navigating the Book Collection

How are books arranged on the shelves?

Libraries use classification systems to organize books on the shelves. Most colleges follow the Library of Congress classification system which uses letters and numbers to arrange books so that items on the same subject are together on the shelf. 

Each subject area has a corresponding letter or group of letters with it. For example, science books are found in the Q section while the History of Education is found in the LA section. These letters and numbers are usually located on the spine of the book and are called "call numbers.

*If you find one book on the shelf that works perfectly for your research interest, make sure to check the surrounding books because they might also be perfect resources for your research.