Finding Books 

Where do I start?

To find a book, use a computer to go to the SUNY Adirondack Library Web page.  Type in a word or two of a subject, title or author in the Book Catalog search box at the top of the library's pages.

If you do not find anything listed, a reference librarian can help you check your search terms. You may want to broaden your idea (books tend to be listed by the large topics they cover) or use truncation (a wildcard ending to a word, usually an asterisk: nurs* retrieves books with the terms nursing, nurses, etc.).

When you find a listing for a book that suits your needs, write down the book’s entire call number (the series of letters and numbers under the “Holdings” section of the screen). Reference books are located on the main floor; circulating books are located on the upper level. Audiobooks, DVDs and music CDs are on the main floor. Ask a librarian for help at any point.

How are the books arranged?

All books in the SUNY Adirondack Library are arranged by the Library of Congress classification system. Most college libraries use this system because it can more specifically arrange books by their subject content than the Dewey Decimal system. The Dewey system is used in smaller libraries and in most public and school libraries. See the tab above about the Library of Congress Classification System for details.

Both systems were created more than 100 years ago and use numbers and letters as codes for the book’s subject. Books about similar topics are located near each other on the shelf, making browsing easy.

What kinds of books are there?

The SUNY Adirondack Library divides most of its collection into two types: reference books and circulating books. We also have a local history collection.

Reference books (on main floor) are usually consulted for fast facts and summaries: encyclopedias, almanacs, atlases, dictionaries, statistical summaries, law books, indexes, and similar quick-answer items. Because they are used frequently and for a short time, they are for library use only and may not be borrowed. The call numbers of all reference books begin with “Ref.”

Circulating books (on upper floor) may be borrowed for four weeks with a student ID card or community borrower card. These are books to take home and read more thoroughly. In the online catalog, look at the Owned/On Loan column to see if the book has been borrowed: if it's on the shelves, it will show a zero under the "On Loan" column. If it's out, it will list a one or other number. Click the Availability link to see the due date.

Click the Hill Collection tab above for details about our local history collection.

How do I find the book using call numbers?

The books are arranged by call number, on the spine of the book:

- The first line of every call number has one or more letters that are a code for the book’s major subject.

- The second line lists numbers specifying a narrower subject (In the boldfaced example below: HB means Economics; 501 means Capitalism).

- The remaining lines indicate information about that particular book: author, publication year or other details.

To find a book on the shelf, read the call number line by line, going alphabetically then numerically:

For example, if you want to find the boldfaced book above, first find the H section, then the HA's, then the HB's. Then find the HB 501 area. Keep going by number until you come to the book that you want. (Note: numbers following a decimal point should be read as decimals.) Signs on each shelving row will guide you.

 Having trouble locating the information you want? Ask a librarian!