Books.
In
Medford Library, as at most university libraries, materials are organized
according to call numbers assigned using the Library
of Congress Classification System. In the LC System (its more familiar
name) call numbers begin with letters of the alphabet and each letter represents
an area of knowledge. Books are organized by their subject matter. Here
are some examples of where books on these topics would be found.
|
|
|
| Religion, Philosophy |
|
| History |
|
| Sports, Recreation |
|
| Music |
|
| American Literature |
|
| Physics |
|
A
more specific example is a book in our library entitled Einstein, the
life and times, about the famous physicist Albert Einstein. The book's
LC call number is QC16 .E5 C5 1994, because the book is shelved
with the other books on physics, in the QC section. Also, as in this call
number, a date at the end of the call number tells you in what year the
book was published.
| Finding
Your Book on the Shelf
You
should be sure to know how to find these books on the shelves. Perhaps
you needed to locate the Einstein book listed above on the shelves of Medford
Library. How would you do it?
Start at the beginning. The books are first shelved alphabetically by the first letters of the call number, so find the "Q" section, then the "QC" section. Once in the "QC's", look numerically for books with "QC 16" at the beginning of their call numbers. That's the easy part. The next
part is tricky. Notice that ".E5" has a decimal at the left. Yes,
that's a decimal, *not a period*. That makes all the numbers that follow
it (including the "C5" on the next line) a decimal number, *not a whole
number*. As
a result, the following call numbers, including the one for the Einstein
book you are looking for, would be in the correct order on the shelves,
left to right. (Hint: look past the identical "QC16" in each call number
and only begin comparing them where the call numbers start to differ.)
Don't forget! The key to the correct (but strange looking) order of these call numbers is the decimal! |
Another important difference between our library's call numbers and those of libraries that use the Dewey Decimal System is that Medford Library has no separate collections, such as "Biography" or "Fiction" collections. We have biographies and fiction, but they are integrated into the collection according to the LC System.
How do you know if Medford Library has the book you are looking for? Use the Library Online Catalog. Read further in this tutorial for more extensive information on using the Library Online Catalog.
Primary vs. Secondary Sources
There is a wide variety of types of publications that can provide you with information--books constitute only one type of resource. Similarly, the sources of information in these publications can vary. It is important that potential researchers understand the difference between a primary source and a secondary source.
A primary source is one where the writer has direct knowledge of the topic: an eyewitness account, an actual document, letters or writings written during the event, or data being reported directly by the researcher who performed the research.
A
secondary source
is basically "second-hand" information, one where the writer is merely
rewriting, condensing, or assembling
others' information that originally appeared in a primary
source: encyclopedia articles, textbooks, criticism (analysis).
 Click
on this
link and read an excellent Web
page explaining the differences between primary and secondary sources,
as presented by Widener
University's Library in Pennsylvania. |
By the way, the issue of primary sources vs. secondary sources is important not only where books are concerned, but also with other types of publications. Be alert to those times when your instructor specifically requires primary sources for your research. In particular, courses in History are well known for requiring primary sources.
Continue now with the
tutorial
by clicking on the underlined link
in this sentence.
