Head Librarian, Penn State Fayette Library
Finding Books
Books are the bridge between your textbook and scholarly journal articles. They are usually your best resource for "the basics" -- an introduction, overview, and history of your topic. The quickest way to find books is to search the library's book databases:
- Catalog (Penn State University Libraries catalog) This link opens in a new windowonline catalog of materials owned by Penn State Libraries
- Google Book SearchSearches the full-text of millions of books.
- Ebook Central This link opens in a new windowelectronic books acquired by Penn State University Libraries
Another way to find books is to "browse" -- go to the library's book shelves and take a look.
At Penn State we use the Library of Congress call number system to shelve our books:
- Most Psychology books have numbers that begin with "BF"
- Most Sociology books have numbers that begin with "HM" or "HN"
- Most books on Marriage, Families, Women's Studies, LGBT Studies, and Gender Studies have call numbers that begin with "HQ"
- Most Criminal Justice books have call numbers that begin with "HV"
- Most Political Science and Law books have call numbers that begin with "J" or "K"
- Most Education books have call numbers that begin with "L"
- Most Health and Nursing books have call numbers that begin with "R"
For more details, see the Library of Congress Classification Outline.
How to Use the CAT
- Introduction to the CAT TutorialThis 4-minute video explains what the CAT (library catalog) is, and the basics of searching it.
- Searching the CAT by Title and Author TutorialThis 5-minute video helps you track down by title or author's name.
- Searching the CAT with Library of Congress Subject Headings TutorialThis 7-minute video demonstrates how to use Library of Congress Subject Headings, a special vocabulary that will help you search the CAT more effectively.
- Advanced Searching in the CAT TutorialThis 5-minute video explains how to combine keywords effectively and use special features of the library catalog.