Using the Salem High School Library

Library Staff Librarian/Media Specialist Mrs. Mutter Mrs. Mutter Block 3 - Library Aid Ms. Marshall Ms. Marshall

Rules for the Library No food or drink in the Library. Please remove your hats or head covers when entering the Library. No I-pods, phones or other listening devices. Please respect other student’s right to work undisturbed.

Visiting the Library Library Hours: 7:30 am to 3:00 pm7:30 am to 3:00 pm A Library or School Pass is required from your teacher to come to the LRC during school hours. When you come to the LRC with a pass, you must see the librarian for permission, and sign in at the circulation desk. When you come to the LRC, you need to observe ALL school and library rules.

Student ID Your Student ID card is required at all times. You must have it to: 1) Check out Library books 2) Use the computers

Locating a book There are three Main Sections to the library. FictionFiction NonfictionNonfiction ReferenceReference

Fiction Books Fiction books are generally novels & stories. They are arranged alphabetically by the first 3 letters of the author’s last name Stephen King books look like this:Stephen King books look like this: FIC KINFIC KIN Isacc Asimov books look like this: Isacc Asimov books look like this: FIC ASIFIC ASI

Nonfiction Nonfiction uses the Dewey Decimal Classification System. There are 10 categories: There are 10 categories: Books are given a number according to their subjectBooks are given a number according to their subject US History would be found in the 973’sUS History would be found in the 973’s 900 = History900 = History 970 = General History of North America970 = General History of North America 973 = United States973 = United States

Reference Reference also uses the Dewey Decimal Classification System. The primary difference between Reference and Nonfiction is that Reference books are generally not checked out. Reference books include almanacs, atlases, dictionaries, encyclopedias, directories, calendars, timetables, chronologies, guidebooks, etc.

How to find a book There are two basic methods of finding books. 1)Using the OPAC – Online Public Access Catalog. 2)Browsing through the shelves.

The OPAC You can search through a book on the OPAC through the library homepage, Select:KeywordTitleAuthorSubject

Searching by Key Word Type in the topic you would like to search for, then click on KEYWORD. If you hit the ENTER key, Key Word will be selected automatically.

The program will give you a list of books that have the key word you selected within the Title, Subject Area, or Book Description. Click on the book you want to view. Searching by Key Word

You may view the details of the book to see if that is what you want. Notice the call number in the upper left hand corner, as well as the listing of how many copies of this book are available. Write the call number down, then go to the stacks and find the book.

Searching by title, author and subject are very similar to key word searches. For Title, you need only part of the title. The program will take what you have typed and compare it to all the titles in the database. For Author, it is best to type Last Name, then First Name. The program will only search through the name field of the database. For Subject searches, you will need to follow the rules laid down by Sears List of Subject Headings. Because of this, it is frequently not as easy to use as a Key Word search.

Browsing If you wish, you may look for books by just roaming around the shelves. Posters Each poster on the front of the Nonfiction shelving gives the Dewey number and what information is found within that number. You can use this to help find sections of books.

Final Thoughts Please do not re-shelve the books once you take them off of the shelf. Find an empty spot at the end of the shelf and leave the book there for the Librarian to pick up. If you have any questions, don’t forget to ask the librarian or your teacher.