LSC 150, session 3, part 1 Items on the Library Shelves How they get where they are: Method or Madness??

Locating Items in the CCSU Library (and other college libraries)  We need a system to find items. To help the process, librarians catalog information.  Cataloging refers to identifying items in an orderly and logical manner so people can easily locate them.

Subject Classification  Remember subject headings* and descriptors (last week’s class)?  In an effort to impose order on people’s IDEAS, librarians developed several similar systems of CLASSIFICATION.  CLASSIFICATION refers to keeping library items together on the shelves based on the topics covered by the items.  CLASSIFICATION is based on the *SUBJECT CONTENT of the items.

Two classification systems are preferred:  Dewey Decimal system – subjects are represented by numerals – Example:  Library of Congress Classification System – subjects are “Alphanumeric” – possibilities for more expansion – Example BL123.N  Most universities use the “LC” System  Public libraries use “Dewey”

You’d expect items on similar subjects to be found near each other, wouldn’t you? For example  Books on the American Revolution should be shelved near each other  Books on job interviewing should be shelved near each other  Books on art history should be shelved neared each other

Each library item that is cataloged has a “Call Number.”  The first part of the “Call Number” refers to an item’s subject content. This part of the “Call Number” is known as the “Classification number” HF A Classification number

Each library item that is cataloged has a “Call Number.” n For example: Here is the call number for a book entitled Getting Hired When Times are Tough HF5383 C H is for Social Sciences HF is Commerce (business) HF5000 etc. is Vocational Guidance HF5383 C

 TITLE The complete resume & job search book for college students / by Bob Adams with Laura Morin. SUBJECT Job hunting. Employment interviewing. Applications for positions. CCSU Stack Level 4 HF A CONSIDER THE SUBJECTS AND CALL NUMBERS OF THESE THREE BOOKS:  TITLE Your first interview : everything you need to know to "ace" the interview process and get your first job / by Ron Fry. SUBJECT Employment interviewing. Job hunting. CCSU Stack Level 4 HF I6 F  TITLE The work book : getting the job you want / by J. Michael Farr SUBJECT Job hunting. Vocational guidance. CCSU Stack Level 4 HF5383 F Notice that the SUBJECTS are related and the ITEMS are shelved near each other in CALL NUMBER order. This helps you BROWSE

This, fortunately, follows for all subject areas TITLE A history of Florida / by Charlton W. Tebeau. SUBJECT Florida --History. CCSU Stack Level 3 F311 T42 TITLE Missions of old Texas /by Walter Barone SUBJECTAlamo (San Antonio, Tex.) --Siege, CCSU Stack Level 3 F389 B TITLE The Alamo remembered : Tejano accounts and perspectives / by Timothy M. Matovina. SUBJECT Alamo (San Antonio, Tex.) --Siege, CCSU Stack Level 3 F390 M TITLE Castro's colony : empresario development in Texas, / by Bobby Weaver SUBJECT Texas --History --Republic, CCSU Stack Level 3 F390 W

What does the rest of the“CALL NUMBER” signify?  The next set of letter(s) and numbers following the Classification Number is called the “Cutter” number and is based on the author’s name. Following that is (sometimes) the date and copy number. BF301 U c4 The Cutter number, in this case U56, usually stands for the author’s last name 1991 is the publication date c4 is the copy number Cutter Number

What does the rest of the“CALL NUMBER” signify?  The next set of letter(s) and numbers following the Classification Number is called the “Cutter” number and is based on the author’s name. Following that is (sometimes) the date and copy number. BF301 U c4 The Cutter number, in this case U56, usually stands for the author’s last name. Important: the Cutter Number is always read as a decimal number. So U56 is really.U is the publication date c4 is the copy number Cutter Number

The order of books on the shelves in the “STACKS” 1) Basic alphabetical order

The order of books on the shelves in the “STACKS” 2) within a single letter, or classification, such as "H", alphabetical order is still used. "H" comes before "HA”, which comes before “HD", which comes before "HL", etc.

The order of books on the shelves in the “STACKS” 3) When books have the same first line in a call number, they are shelved in numerical order, looking at the second line.

The order of books on the shelves in the “STACKS” 4) If the first two lines of a call number are the same, books are shelved by the third line of the call number, which is a decimal arrangement – even if the decimal sign is omitted!

PS3571 P39 NB PR 7.R79835 PN 1997 PS 3571 P4 1977

PS3571 P39 NB PR 7.R79835 PN 1997 DEWEY (Drawings, cartoons, Graphic novels) PS 3571 P NOTE! P39 is read as.P39 and is shelved before P4, which is read as.P4

If library items are shelved by subject -- Where do the subject headings come from?

The Subject Headings are actually devised by the Library of Congress. There are over 250,000 LCSH  The subjects are governed by a “controlled vocabulary” thesaurus. So although we might call a subject by a popular phrase, the actual subject heading could be quite different. LCSH = Library of Congress Subject Headings

n For example, we might be thinking of a topic and calling it “GUN CONTROL,” but the LCSH calls the same topic “FIREARMS--LAW AND LEGISLATION.” n When we are searching for items by subject, we need to know the correct LCSH heading.

Library of Congress Subject Headings are listed in five volumes and you’ll find them in the Reference Dept. (3rd Floor) and the Circulation Dept. (2nd Floor) at the CCSU Elihu Burritt Library. Most academic libraries have them readily available at places where you would need them.

Here is a sample entry from the LCSH (taken from one of the five “red volumes”) Imprisonment (May Subd Geog) UF Confinement Incarceration BTCorrections RTPrisons SA subdivision Imprisonment under names of individual persons NTArrest Debt, Imprisonment for False Imprisonment Imprisonment False USE False Imprisonment

Imprisonment (May Subd Geog) UF Confinement Incarceration BTCorrections RTPrisons SA subdivision Imprisonment under names of individual persons NTArrest Debt, Imprisonment for False Imprisonment Imprisonment False USE False Imprisonment In this example, note that UF means “use Imprisonment instead of Confinement or Incarceration.” A term that is broader (BT) than Imprisonment is Corrections -- and it is a LCSH. Prisons is a good term too; it is related (RT) to Imprisonment. SA means “See Also” and suggests other possible ways to deal with the topic. NT is “Narrower Term.”

Important note:  If you DO NOT know the correct LCSH, it is a good practice to begin your online catalog search by performing a KEYWORD SEARCH  This will lead you to the correct LCSH, which you may choose to search on to find additional relevant items.  Still, it is important to understand the LCSHs.

Library Catalogs You Might Use  CONSULS – SCSU, ECSU, WCSU, CCSU, Connecticut State Library in Hartford, CT CONSULS  reQuest -- reQuest is the Statewide Library Catalog of Connecticut. In reQuest, you can search over three million individual titles located in over two hundred Connecticut libraries at once. reQuest  WorldCat --Over 41,000,000 “records” WorldCat Dates covered: before 1000 BC to present, Scope: books, manuscripts, computer data files, maps, computer programs, musical scores …

Example: Here is the result of a KEYWORD search for the topic of reparations and slavery notice that 9 items were retrieved

Our KEYWORD SEARCH Has lead us to a relevant item. We now can look at what LCSHs the Library of Congress has used to describe this item, and we may “click” on listed headings to find more items on the topic.

Searching Basics: “It’s all in how you say it” LSC 150 Session 3, part 2

Successfully Searching Databases  Requires skill in formulating search strategies  Various approaches

Assignment: find information on the “effect of a person’s ethnic background on their ability to achieve in school” Natural language approach ethnic background effects on achievement in school Boolean approach ethnic background AND achievement AND school (This is called a “search strategy”)

and there are other ways to say that: ethnicity and achievement and school Or ethnicity and scholastic achievement Or ethnicity and educational achievement These are alternative “search strategies” Sometimes it is advantageous to use several strategies.

use a search strategy so powerful that you could do all that in one search ethnic background or ethnicity And school or scholastic or educational And achievement or success or attainment

Successful searching involves  Choosing the “right words”  Correct spelling  Knowledge of the “operators” –Special words to connect (combine) search terms AND OR NOT

the “AND” operator (narrows) Aaaaa aaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaa aa ethnic background AND achievement AND school achievement school ethnic back- ground

the “OR” operator (broadens) Aaaaa aaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaa aa ethnic background OR ethnicity AND achievement achievement ethnicity ethnic back- ground aaa aAaaaa aaaaaa aaa aAaaaa aaaaaa

the “NOT” operator (excludes) Aaaaa aaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaa aa police AND dogs NOT dobermans dobermans dogs police

The topic “Legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes” may be broken down into: legalize AND marijuana AND medicinal (Perhaps you can pose this query differently and find more information) That is, perhaps you can formulate alternative “search strategies”

Strategy #1 – Generate other terms  legalize OR law OR legislate  marijuana OR marihuana OR cannabis  medicinal OR medical OR illness OR disease OR sickness OR AIDS

Strategy #2 – Employ special characters if possible (truncation) legal * OR law OR legislat * marijuana OR marihuana OR cannabis medic * OR illness * OR disease * OR sickness * OR AIDS

Put it all together (legal * OR law OR legislat *) AND (marijuana OR marihuana OR cannabis) AND (medic * OR illness * OR disease * OR sickness * OR AIDS)

Put it all together (legal * OR law OR legislat *) AND (marijuana OR marihuana OR cannabis) AND (medic * OR illness * OR disease * OR sickness * OR AIDS) Truncation/wildcard symbols Boolean / logical operators Spelling variations/ ”synonymous” or alternative terms

Search strategy worksheet Ethics of physician assisted suicide Concept AConcept B Euthanasiaethic* OR Physician-assistedANDbioethic* suicide OR Mercy killingmoral*

What other assistance is available to the database user?  Most databases offer some kind of “HELP” to the user; but it’s up to the user to find, read, understand, and use the “HELP” that is offered. FAQ