Finding Books in the City College Library

How to find a book Searching the Catalog To find a book in the City University Library system, use CUNY+, the libraries online catalog. To get to CUNY+, go to the City College Library Home Page, and select CUNY+ Catalog.

How to find a book Step One: If you want to view all books located in the City University (CUNY), then begin your search at the opening page, which is the CUNY UNION CATALOG. If you want to locate only books at the City College library, catalog click "Select Individual CUNY Libraries" and select City. You will be on the "Basic Search" page.

How to find a book Step 2: Preparing the search query. On the Basic Search page under “Select search type " you can select your search query. Under  “Search For ” type your search query. Examples of search queries are noted under the search box.

How to find a book Result List   How to find a book Result List Titles are listed by most recent date of publication. Each title is numbered. Click the number link to view detailed information about the book.

How to find a book Step 3: Viewing the record - Result List   How to find a book Step 3: Viewing the record - Result List Click this link to view the call number.

How to find a book Step 4: Call Number   How to find a book Step 4: Call Number On the call number page take note of the Call number, as well as Item status, and Due Date. Item status will tell you if it is circulating or non-circulating. Due date will tell you if the book has been checked out, or if it is on the shelf.

Location Chart Step 5: Location of the book -  Floor Location Chart - Call Numbers These are charts posted around the catalog area that gives directions to floors where books can be located. On the chart the first letter of the call number is noted. It will also give directions to the floor on which the book is located.

How to find a book Step 6: Understanding Call Numbers: a Tutorial Skip tutorial

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CALL NUMBERS City College Library The Call Number on the spine of the book tells you where to find the book on the shelves. TR 178.83 .B35 1992 Press space bar to continue. Press “P” to back up. Press “esc key” to end.

TR 178.83 City College Library Academic Libraries usually use the Library of Congress Classification System, not the Dewey Decimal system. City College Library The first line is shelved in alphabetical order. On the library shelves you’d find books with the call number HA shelved before HB, TR would be before TS, etc... TR 178.83 The second line is a real number. You’d find 1 before 2, and 178.83 before 178.9, etc...

TR 178.83 .B35 1967 City College Library This line is both alphabetical and decimal. A number with .A-- would be found on the shelf before a number with .B--, B before C, etc…. But don’t forget this is a decimal number, so .B35 would be found on the shelf after .B214 and before .B4 City College Library TR 178.83 .B35 1967 This number is usually the date of the publication of the book. 1967 would be found on the shelf before 1968, 1968 before 1969, etc...

Where should this book go in this sequence? City College Library BS 23.5 .F578 Where should this book go in this sequence? Think of the answer before you advance the slide. BR 23 .F466 BS 23 .H4 BS 23.243 .F578 BS 23.5 .F578 BS 23.7 .F571 City College Library Where should this book go in this sequence? PS 3711 .I76 Think of the answer before you advance the slide. PS 3711 .F18 PS 3711 .I7 PS 3711 .76 PS 3711 .I8 PS 3711 .I975 If you got either of these wrong return to page one or continue.

How to find a book Step 7: Finding books on the shelf On each floor there are direction signs.

How to find a book Go to the area where you will find the book

How to find a book As you walk down the aisle you will notice that each book has a label with letters and numbers. Make sure the call number that you copied from the CUNY+ catalog corresponds with the number on the book.

How to find a book Step 6: Check-out Circulating books are noted in the CUNY+ catalog as stacks. These books may be taken to the Circulation Desk for check-out. Back to Research Resources