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Philosophy: A Guide to Research

This guide contains information about conducting scholarly research in philosophy and other resources to help with the research process.

Understanding Call Numbers

Call numbers are like addresses for books.  Each book has its own unique call number, which makes it easy to find the exact book you are looking for.  Most materials in Milne Library are arranged by subject through the Library of Congress Classification System.  This means that books on similar topics will be next to each other on the shelf, so if you find a call number for one book, chances are that you can browse the shelves in that section and find additional books on your topic.  Check out the Call Number Guide below for more information and an example of how it works!

How to find a book using the Library Catalog

The library has hundreds of thousands of print books on all different topics, including:

~ Academic, subject-specific books (for instance psychology, biology, history, geography, the environment, music scores, philosophy, calculus, art, etc.)

~ Poetry

~ Popular Fiction

~ Classic Literature

~ Young Adult

~ Graphic Novels

Most physical (print) materials can be checked out for the whole semester at the Circulation Desk on the first floor.  All you need is your ID!  A few collections, such as Special Collections and the Reference Collection, do not circulate but can be used in the Library.

To search for books, go to the Library website and click on Library Catalog.

Type in your keyword(s), and click Search.  This will search for both print books and e-books.  To narrow to just print books, select Held By Library under Availability and Books under Resource Type. 

 

Check out the video tutorial below for step-by-step instructions:

How to Check Out a Book (Video 2:16)