Jump to: Why Use Books? | Identifying
Titles | Searching the Library Online Catalog|
Locating Books | Placing Holds |
Borrowing Books from Other Libraries
Why Use Books?
- In-depth information on a topic
- General discussions
- Detailed analyses
- Compilation of scholarly thought
- Historical topics
- Literary criticism
- Methods and procedures
Identifying Book Titles
Searching the Library Catalog
The Library Catalog provides
author, title, subject and keyword access to the Oviatt Library's book collection,
government publications, microforms, videos/DVDs, and sound recordings, as
well as title access to its journal, newspaper, and magazine collections (see
also the CSUN List of Electronic
Periodicals).
- Search the Library Catalog
by author, title, subject, or keyword. Follow on-screen instructions, or
refer to the Catalog Help page for more information.
- Write down the location code and call
number for the book and note its status (in library, checked out, etc.).
Locating Books in the Library
- Location codes for books found in the
Library Online Catalog will reflect whether they are on the open shelves
(Floor2, Floor3, Floor4) or at other locations in the Library.
- The Oviatt Library shelves books using the Library
of Congress Classification system for its call numbers, which is a combination
of letters and numbers. The call number serves as an address for the book
and reflects the subject matter of the publication.
- Books with the STORED location code are kept in the Automated Storage
and Retrieval System (ASRS) and must be retrieved by clicking the
button while displaying the book record in the Library Catalog.
- Stored books will be delivered to the Circulation Desk, first floor, Lobby.
Periodicals and Microforms will be delivered to the Reserves, Periodicals
& Microforms Service Desk, 4th floor, East Wing. Please allow about 10 minutes
for this process. If you do not have a CSUN photo ID card with an activated
barcode, the Circulation Desk staff will assist you with your item request
from storage.
Placing a Hold on a Book
You may place a hold on a book that is currently checked out ("Due mm-dd-yy").
- Click the
button ; you will be asked to enter your 14-digit library bar code (from
your CSUN ID card) and last name. You must have an active patron record,
i.e. your ID card was activated at the Circulation Desk, and be a CSUN student,
faculty, or staff member to do this.
- Note: Items placed on hold are kept at the Oviatt Library Circulation
Desk when returned, and users are notified by mail.
Borrowing Books from Other Libraries
There are at least three options for obtaining a book that the Library does
not own:
- Request the book title from another library using the Interlibrary Loan service, which
is available to current CSUN students, staff and faculty only.
- Check Other Library Catalogs to see if a
local library owns the book.
- Make a Purchase Recommendation
so that the Library will buy the book for its collection. This is a slower
process than Inter-Library Loan.
