Most of our books are in the General Collection and students can borrow them for six weeks. Tip: In most cases, you can renew books for an additional six weeks!
Ebooks: Our book catalog also includes links to a small collection of ebooks.
Roe V. Wade: The Abortion Rights Controversy in American History by Why use reference works? They're good sources for background information on a topic, essays by experts in the field, and references to key sources on a topic. Tip: Reference books are reserved for in-Library use only; be prepared to take notes or copy the entry you need on our printer/scanner or your own device.
The SAGE Encyclopedia of LGBTQ Studies by 
Women's Rights in the United States: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Issues, Events, and People by To find books in our library, search the Library Catalog - you can also search directly via the search box on the library's homepage. Use our guide to finding books for more on how to use the online catalog and find books on the shelves.
When you find books that look useful, write down the Collection & the Call Number.
General Collection, call numbers A - PQ are on the Third Floor
General Collection, call numbers PR - Z are on the Second (Main) Floor
Oversize are on the Third Floor, Beck Hall side
Reference are on the Second (Main) Floor, Beck Hall side
Browsing are on the Second (Main) Floor near the entrance
Young Adult & Children's Books are on the First Floor
AV materials (DVDs, etc) are on the First Floor
Once you are in the right area, signs on the sides of the shelves will direct you further. The system is a little tricky to figure out at first, so don't hesitate to ask for directions at the Information Desk (main floor of the library).
Browse the shelves when you find a useful book. Books are shelved according to topic, so chances are you'll find other relevant books nearby. You can check books and other materials out at the Information Desk. This page has information about loan periods, renewals, etc.
Sometimes people shy away from books because they are longer to read than a journal article. Many disciplines still publish current research in books, so you don't want to miss out on key resources by ignoring books. There are some tricks you can use to understand a book's structure and argument, so you DON'T have to read the whole thing.
Once you have a good idea of the book's structure and argument through skimming, you can narrow in on the portions of the text most useful for your research.
Serendipity plays a big role in research. When looking for books, start by searching the catalog. Once you find a book that looks promising, browse the nearby books. Our library uses the Library of Congress system, which houses books on the same topic near each other.
Some topics are more easily browsed than others. For example, books by and about a particular writer are shelved together, but books on interdisciplinary subjects, such as environmental science, may be in several places.
This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
