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Dewey Decimal or Card Catalog? How to Locate a Book in a Library
HOW TO 
Tags: Library, Locating a book, Finding a Book, Choosing a Book
Visiting a library the stacks of books can be a little overwhelming. But never fear ListAfterList is here! Below is how you can locate a book in a library.
| 1. | The shelves are marked with the types of books that are on them. Find the section that lists the book you are interested in, whether it be Non-fiction, fiction, recent books, mystery, or novels. |
| 2. | Remember that Non-fiction books will be shelved seperately by some kind of classification system (the most popular are the Dewey Decimal System and the Library of Congress Classification system.) If you don't know how these work, the Library staff will be able to help you. |
| 3. | In looking for fiction books, try to remember some of the good books you've read and their authors. Write the authors down on a slip of paper. |
| 4. | Look up these authors on the library catalog (either a computerized system or a card catalog) or just on the shelves. The Fiction shelves are always alphabetized according to the last names of authors. |
| 5. | If you find any books by these authors read the summary to see if it interests you, and consider checking them out. Usually a writer that has written one good book probably has written more. |
| 6. | If you can't remember any particular author, just browse the shelf, picking up random books, reading the information inside the cover, reading the first page or more, to see if you are interested in the book |
| 7. | A good cover can be an indication of a good book, or the cover can fool you by thinking it is a good book. Only when you start reading it, can you see if you are really interested in it. |
| 8. | There are tables in the library where selected books are on display. Check these out to see if one of them catches your interest. |
| 9. | In addition, the library has books that categorize, index and rate novels in the reference section. |
| 10. | If a librarian is available, tell him/her what you like to read and they will probably be able to make a list of recommendations. |
| 11. | If you go to the periodicals section, you can find magazines with book reviews like Publisher's Weekly or even People and Rolling Stone. You could also check out the New York Times book reviews section. |
| 12. | Check out the computer databases. Some U.S. libraries subscribe to a huge online database about books called NoveList. |
| 13. | Some award winning books are great even if they are from a genre you don't usually like. |
| 14. | If you haven't found a good book by now you might as well check Harry Potter for the umpteenth time! |
| 15. | Always remember that if you have found a non-fiction book on a topic in which your are interested, only some of the rest of the library stock will also be in the same area. If the library shelves their "Out-of-size Books", ie, very large ones, in a different area then don't forget to check there as well. |
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