Research using the library How to find the stuff you need as efficiently as possible

Nonfiction books in the library

Open the internet (Your page will look similar to this one. ) Open the internet (Your page will look similar to this one.). Click on “My Schools” on the top red ribbon.

A window will open up. “Click on “J.H. Bruns Collegiate”.

A new page will open up that looks similar to this one below A new page will open up that looks similar to this one below. Click on “Destiny Library Manager”.

The computer will take you to the library search engine. Type in your subject next to “Find”, and click on the subject icon.

A search for “communism” produced these results A search for “communism” produced these results. Remember to scroll down to see all the entries…

… because the results don’t always end at the bottom of the page … because the results don’t always end at the bottom of the page. Note how a general search topic will produce related results. One of those results might be what you are looking for.

Taking a closer look, you will see that pictures of the cover do not always come up. On the right is the availability of the book (The third entry is currently out.) Note that entry #3 is fiction, so not helpful for research. Books with the call # 921 are biographies (entry #4).

Click on “Details” for more information. Here is a short description of the book. Here as well, are some related search suggestions. Click on “Find it” for additional search results.

The Call # is how you find the book The Call # is how you find the book. It’s a good idea to write down this number because you may need several of the decimal points to lead you to the book. When you enter the library, the books with the smaller reference numbers are to the left. See the pictures later in this presentation for a visual guide.

If you look to the left as you enter the library, this is your view If you look to the left as you enter the library, this is your view. Note that on this half of the library you can find books with call numbers from 0 to 399. These books cover topics including Philosophy and Religion, but the big section, the 300 section is the Social Sciences.

Right in front of you as you enter the library you can find the Fiction section with the magazine rack on the left and the reference section on the right. To learn more about finding Fiction books, see the “How to find JHB Fiction” presentation.

400-500 600 700 800 Still on the main book shelf wall, the shelves to the right hold books with call numbers from 400 to the 813. Here we have books on Science, Technology, Cooking, Fine Arts, Sports, and Literature.

800 900 To the far right on the intersecting wall, you can find books with call numbers from 813 to 999 covering topics from Literature (800), Biography (921), to History (930 and up).

There are other sources of useful information in the library that we still haven’t talked about. One of them is the Reference section. Here’s a picture of both sides of the stand alone book shelf that houses the Reference books. Reference books are books like encyclopedias, dictionaries, almanacs, and scrapbooks. Reference books must be used within the library; they may not be signed out.

Sometimes when you’re searching for books, you’ll notice that the call number also includes the letters REF. Here are two examples of reference books, Look in the reference section for these two books. REF books are also organized by number. You may also occasionally find a unique call number including the letters “PL”. The “PL” stands for Professional Library. To access one of these books, see Mr. Payne or Ms. Thomas.