Step 3
Find books.
Use the library's catalog to find books, or anything else the library may own. Most library catalogs can be searched on the Web, so you can cover a lot of ground without actually going anywhere.
In the Gutman library, you can use the library's catalog to find
 |
books |
|
journals (but not what's in the journals) |
|
course reserves |
But, before you start searching...
In order to help you find books in the Gutman Library (or other libraries), it
helps to know about...
|
The Dewey Decimal System |
|
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) |
|
Keyword vs. Subject Searching |
Why is this important? Knowing how things are arranged will help you find things more quickly. When you're a busy student, you don't have a lot of time to waste!
Dewey Decimal System
The Dewey Decimal System is how the books in
the Gutman Library are arranged (physically, in the building). This is what the call numbers refer to -- and call numbers are what you use
to find things on the
shelf.
Those numbers actually mean something! For example, the 700's in Dewey represent the arts. Each number represents a specific area (that's why the numbers end up being so long).
Why am I telling you this? If you have an idea where the architecture books are (or even the books on American architecture), then you can browse more efficiently. Like is usually shelved with like -- so if you're looking for one book on Frank Lloyd Wright, chances are you'll find lots of other ones on the shelf next to it.
Visit the 700's or go to a short list of the subject areas and their numerical ranges. You may want to explore the other numerical ranges. Some books pertaining to your subject might show up in other places (like social sciences, for example).
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH)
LCSH is how
subjects are arranged within the catalog. It's a controlled vocabulary used in library catalogs and
some indexes, like the Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals (this
will be covered in more detail in Step 4). LCSH provides a standard way of talking about a subject, so that you could go from
one library to another and find the same things.
Why am I telling you this? First, the way you or I talk about a subject may not be the way LCSH talks about the subject. Second, LCSH follows a pattern. It starts with a broad category, then subdivides into smaller pieces. To see what I mean, take a look at this PDF file to see an actual page from volume 1 (A-C) of LCSH.
Keyword vs. Subject Searching
Keywords and Subjects are two different ways to search in the
catalog. When you search by keyword, the catalog looks for your
terms anywhere in the record
-- author, title, subject, whatever. Searching by subject means
that you're looking for your terms only in the Subjects field (which refers to
LCSH).
Search the catalog!
Now that you know a little bit about how things are structured, use the
Gutman Library's catalog, PhilaFIND, to find books for your project. You
can search PhilaFIND from the library's
home page: just click on "Library Catalog".
This exercise (Word version) will help you focus your catalog search (and it may help you in
Step 4, too!). The goal is to help you get familiar with keyword and
subject searching in the library's catalog, PhilaFIND.
