How do I locate books on the shelf?
1. Find the call number in the record (it is a series of numbers and letters). The call number for this book is PE 1431 .R68 2012.
2. Notice the record indicates the campus location, section of the library (General Stacks), call number and if the item is available.
3. Call number ranges are listed on the endcaps of the library's bookshelves. The ranges are alphabetical so PE would fall between N and PN.
4. Find the correct letter combination on the shelf, PE would be between P and PN.
5. Look for the number - be sure to look for the whole number. 1431 would come AFTER 140, but before 2340 (two thousand three hundred forty).
6. In the third line, first locate the letter and then the decimal. In our example, .R68 would come before .S88.
7. Finally, locate the correct publication year for your item.
8.This is how the item appears on the shelf.
Placing a Hold - Requesting items from other MCC Locations
1. When you locate an item you would like to request, click on the item's title.
2. A full record for the item will appear, including an Availability section. Select the Place hold button.
3. Sign into your library account. If you have not previously signed in, you will need to select the Set/reset password option and follow the prompts.
4. Select a Pickup location for the item. Library staff will contact you when your item is available at the circulation desk.
Getting Books through Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
The library catalog will list results for items that are not readily available through MCC, however we are happy to request these items from other libraries - a process called Interlibrary Loan. If an item is available for checkout, generaly the lending library will let us borrow it for our patrons.
1. Find an item that is unavailable through Mohave Community College Library - you can tell because there is no line indicating that it is owned by MCC.
2. Click the title to see the item's detailed record. Select the Request Item button.
3. Complete the form:
4. Done! Library staff will contact you by phone when the book arrives or let you know if there is an issue with your request. Because ILL items are from different libraries, they often have a unique borrowing period (2-6 weeks) and generally cannot be renewed. The library does not process requests for textbooks because they tend to not circulate outside of their respective libraries.
Review the PowerPoint presentation "An Introduction to E-Books: What They Are and How to Use Them"
When you search a database you may learn something about the topic, just from the way the database organizes your search results. Databases are enriched with meta-data-- information about the information-- that makes searching more sensitive, but can also guide you to new ways of thinking about the sources you see in your results. Subject headings and other facet systems can also help you learn more about your research topic.
Vocabulary systems like the Library of Congress Subject Headings in this graphic, guide you to more precise language and subsets of your topic. In this example of a search for Hip-hop, the database gives the user links to search Rap (music) as well as some narrower aspects of Hip-hop.The subject headings are like categories for discovering and searching more precise aspects of the topic.
As you review the results of your search, subject headings and facets prompt you to ask critical questions about the results. What do I want to know about Hip-hop? What are the social aspects? What is meant by African Americans Music?
Information Literacy Tutorial by Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at guides.library.uwm.edu
