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Find Library Materials

Using the Library Catalog

Finding the Library Catalog

The library catalog is the tool you can use to search for materials that are available in the library. Through the library catalog, you can search for books, eBooks, videos, journals, and so much more.

You can find (and search!) the library catalog from the box on the library website homepage.

Library Catalog on SCC Library Website

Searching in the Library Catalog

There are many ways to search in the library catalog. Check out the SCC Library's video tutorial on how to search in the SCC Library Catalog. If you have any questions about using the SCC Library Catalog, please Ask a Librarian!

To search in the library catalog, type your keywords into the search box. You can adjust your search to search:

  • Catalog + eBooks
  • Catalog by Campus
  • Catalog + Databases
  • Other Colleges (PASCAL Delivers)
  • Electronic Only (Databases + eBooks)    
  • Course Reserves 

To search the catalog, type your keywords into the search box. You can also search if the library has books by a certain author or a specific book by its title.

Once you search for a book, you will notice different filters on the left side of your screen to narrow down your search. Some of the helpful filters to find a book are: Campus Library, Item Type, and Limit To Print/Physical Items or Available Online (eBooks).

To learn more about a book (and to see if it is available for check-out), click on the book's title. That will take you to the record for the book, which has a lot of useful information. 

Learn more about searching in the SCC Library Catalog by checking out the below video.

Finding a Book on the Shelf

If you find a print book that you want to find on the shelves, there is some information that you will need first. All of the information can be found in the book's record page in the library catalog.

Record page of book "Black Women Leaders of the Civil Rights Movement." The book's campus (Giles/Central Campus) is outlined in a red box with a red arrow pointing to the word "Campus." The book's section (Stacks Circulating) is outlined in purple with a purple arrow point to the word "Section." The book's call number (E185.61.A4415 1996) is outlined in green with a green arrow pointing to the word "Call Number."

The Campus tells us which of SCC's campuses this book is located on. Black Women Leaders of the Civil Rights Movement is located on the Giles/Central Campus Library.

The Section tells us which section of the library this book is in. Black Women Leaders of the Civil Rights Movement is located in the Stacks - Circulating Section.

The Call Number tells us which bookshelf the book is on. The Call Number for Black Women Leaders of the Civil Rights Movement is E185.61 .A4415 1996.

To Find the Book on the Bookshelf...

  1. Go to the correct campus the book is located on. In this case, that would be the Giles/Central Campus.

Front of Giles Campus Library Learning Resources Center Building

  1. Go to the section of the library the book is in. This book is in the Stacks - Circulating Section.

Stacks - Circulating Collection sign in Giles Library.

  1. Use the book's call number to locate it on the shelf. The book's call number is E185.61 .A4415 1996. Find the bookshelf that says E on it.

Library Bookshelf with a plaque reading E-E.

  1. Add together the pieces of the call number until you find the book on the shelf.

Book on shelf with red outline around call number and a red arrow pointing to it.

How to Read a Call Number

Whether you look up a book in the library catalog or find a book on the shelf in the library, you are going to find a call number for the book. Think of the call number as the book's address on the shelf. The call number is going to tell you where the book is located on the shelf, plus some other information about the book.

A book's call number can be found in a few places:

Library Catalog

The call number to "Black Women Leaders of the Civil Rights Movement" in the library catalog outlined in red with a red arrow pointing to it.

Spine of the Book

The call number on the spine of a book outlined in red with a red arrow pointing to it.

The call number for Black Women Leaders of the Civil Rights Movement is E185.61 .A4415 1996.

E185.61: This is the subject of the book. The SCC Library uses the Library of Congress Classification System, which groups books together by subject area and not by author's name, like the Public Library does. This can be helpful for doing research, since the books about your topic will all be in the same area of the library. 

For example, books in the E185.61 section are all going to be about United States History.

.A4415: This tells us about the author's last name. .A4415 is the number assigned to the author of this book, Zita Allen.

1996: This is the year the book was published.

**Helpful Tip: When searching for books on the shelf, pay close attention to the first grouping of numbers in the call number. In our example, E185.61 .A4415 1996 is one hundred (100), so when beginning to look for the book, you should skip over the E10s and HD900s and start in the E100s.