Ask a Librarian

Books in the University Libraries are organized by subject using the Library of Congress Classification system. This system organizes materials into topics and subtopics based on their subject matter. These topics (called classes) are each represented by a letter and appear in alphabetical order in the library.

For example, books in the "L" section are all on Education and books that begin with LA are the History of Education.  Books in the "M" section are all on music and books that begin with MT are on the Instruction and Study of Music.  

Books beginning with A-Q can be found on the library's upper level, and books beginning with R-Z can be found on the lower level. If you are having trouble locating a specific book on the shelves, feel free to ask for help at the Front Desk.

Tip: Because books are organized into subjects that go from very broad to very specific, a book you are looking for will be surrounded by other books on the same topic that may be useful to you as well. You can also do this kind of browsing virtually in the library catalog. Click on a print book title and then look for the "Browse the Shelf" feature.