You can search for books and other materials that the Library owns using the Library Catalogue. The catalogue can be accessed by clicking on "Books & DVDs" on the library’s homepage. You can either search the catalogue directly using the search box on that page, or click on “Full Library Catalogue” to perform a more detailed search. You can search for books by general keyword, title, author, or subject.
When you hit the Search button, you will be taken to a catalogue page showing the books in the library’s collection that match your search term. To learn more about one of these books, click on its title.
Below is the record from the library catalogue for the book Game Addiction. It tells us information about the book, including where it is located.
One of the pieces of information provided in this record is a list of subject headings. Subject headings describe what the book is “about”. You can use subject headings to find more books on a similar topic. When you click on a subject, you can see the number of titles (books or other documents) that the library has. For example, if you click on “Video games and teenagers” in the list above, in this subject list, you will see all the books that the library has on this topic.
Tags: books, catalogue, call numbers
Books can be in one of several locations in the library:
Books in the library are organized by call number order. The call number is a code consisting of letters and numbers that is like a book's address on the shelf. There is a sticker on the spine of every book with its call number on it.
The call number system groups together books on the same or similar topics. To find the call number for your book, take a look at the book’s record by clicking the title of the book in the catalogue. An example record is shown above for the "Game Addiction" book. At the bottom of this record, under Holdings, we can see information on where the book is located (which campus, which floor) and its call number. This book has the call number RC569.5/V53/C53/2009.
You can use this information to find the correct location for your book on the library shelves. The books on the 3rd floor are organized on the shelves based on their call number order. There are signs on the ends of the rows indicating what call number the row begins with and ends with. If your call number is in between, then that's the right row.
To learn more about using call numbers to find books, visit our Unlocking Research guide.
Tags: books, catalogue, call numbers
Faculty, and sometimes Library staff, place materials "on reserve" if they are required reading for a whole class. Reserve materials can be library books,articles, math and science solutions or sample exams, and sometimes teachers' personal books. The full list of Course Reserves is available on the Library Catalogue.
Students can check whether a particular teacher has put items on reserve by checking the Course Reserves or consulting the binder at the Loans Desk. The list may be sorted by title, department, course number, semester, campus, teachers' names. Each teacher specifies whether an item can be borrowed on a 2-day loan or is for Library Use Only.
Please note that your access to reserves is restricted to your campus.
The Champlain Library has access to over 26,000 full-length electronic books, and your book might be one of them! On the library website, click on the "eBooks" tab and follow the link to Ebook Central to see if an electronic version of your book is available. To search Ebook Central, just type the name of your book into the search bar in the upper left-hand corner. All the books in Ebook Central are available 24/7. If you are accessing Ebook Central from home, you will need to login with your student number and "password for college computers" (available on your course schedule in Omnivox)).
Tags: books, ebooks, online resources
A call number is a code, consisting of letters and numbers, that is printed on a sticker on the spine of every library book. Books in the library are organized by call number order, so the call number is like the book's address on the shelf.
The call number system groups together books on the same or similar topics. To find the call number for your book, take a look at the book’s record by clicking the title of the book in the catalogue. An example record is shown below. At the bottom of this record, we can see information on where the book is located (which campus, which floor) and its call number. This book has the call number RC569.5/V53/C53/2009.
You can use this information to find the correct location for your book on the library shelves. The books on the 3rd floor are organized on the shelves based on their call number order. There are signs on the ends of the rows indicating what call number the row begins with and ends with. If your call number is in between, then that's the right row.
To learn more about using call numbers to find books, visit our Unlocking Research guide.
Tags: books, call numbers
If your book’s call number begins with a number, it is not located at our (St-Lambert) library, but at the St-Lawrence campus library in Quebec City. If you would like to borrow a book from the St-Lawrence campus, please fill out an
If you want to understand more about how call numbers work, read below.
There are several different systems for organizing books by call number. Most libraries in North America use either the Library of Congress or Dewey Decimal system. If your book’s call number begins with a number, that means it’s a Dewey Decimal call number. All Dewey Decimal call numbers begin with a numerical digit (i.e. 612.8/D657b/2007). All Library of Congress call numbers begin with an alphabet letter (i.e. QP363.3/D65/2007). Typically, university libraries use Library of Congress numbers, while public libraries use Dewey numbers. At this Regional CEGEP, we do a little bit of both!
How does this help you find your book in the library? Well, at Champlain Regional College, different call number systems are used at different campuses. Books with a Library of Congress call number (beginning with a letter) are located here, at the St-Lambert campus library; books with a Dewey call number (beginning with a number) are found at the St-Lawrence campus library in Quebec City.
Check out other questions in this FAQ for more information on using call numbers to find a book on the shelves.
Tags: books, call numbers, st lawrence, interlibrary loan, intercollege loan