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How to Find Books

Identifying Titles | Does the Library Own the Book?| Where Books are Shelved |
How to Retrieve Books in Storage
| Circulation Policies | What if CSUN Does Not Own the Book?

Identifying the Books You Want: Bibliographies and Catalogs Image

Search the online catalog by keyword or subject for books on your topic. Bibliographies in textbooks, subject-specific encyclopedias and handbooks are good sources for specific titles of books on your topic. Some indexing and abstracting services provide citations for books and chapters in books. Books are important for:

Image Does The Library Have These Books? The University Library Online Catalog

The Library online catalog provides author, title, subject and keyword access to its collection of almost one million books, 4,500 electronic books, 2,500 print periodicals, and 13,000 electronic periodicals (see also the CSUN List of Electronic Periodicals http://library.csun.edu/ejournals/) as well as government publications, microforms, and media.
  1. Search the Library Online Catalog (http://library.csun.edu/cgi/opac) by author, title, subject, or keyword. Follow on-screen instructions, or refer to the Online Catalog About page (http://library.csun.edu/i-opac.html) for more information.
  2. Write down the location code (http://library.csun.edu/locations.html), for example: Floor2, Reserve Room, Floor4 East.
  3. Write down the call number, for example: HV91 .H265 2001. The books are arranged on the shelves by this alpha-numeric code.

Where Books Are Shelved Image

How to Retrieve Books that are Stored (ASRS) ASRS

  1. Perform a search in the Library Online Catalog (http://library.csun.edu/cgi/opac).
  2. For items showing a Stored location code, click the Request button.
  3. Enter your name and the 14-digit barcode number from your CSUN photo ID card in the boxes provided, then click the Submit button.
  4. Periodicals and Microforms will be delivered to the Periodicals Service Desk, Floor4
    East. All other materials will be delivered to the Circulation Desk, first floor lobby. Please allow about 10 minutes for this process.
  5. If you do not have a current CSUN photo ID card with a barcode, the Circulation Desk staff will assist you.

Circulation Policies Oviatt Circulation Desk

What If the Library Does Not Own the Book You Need? Edward Munch's The Scream

There are several options available for obtaining a copy of a book or periodical the Library does not own:
  1. Request the book title from another library using the Inter-Library Loan service (http://library.csun.edu/pubserv/illuse.html), which is available for CSUN students, staff and faculty only. Allow about two weeks to receive the book.
  2. Other local libraries may also have the title you need. Check Other Library Catalogs (http://library.csun.edu/libcats.html) to identify which library owns the book. WorldCat (http://library.csun.edu/restricted/worldcat.scr) is a union catalog of many major libraries worldwide and is a good starting point to get an idea of which library may own the title. The Pharos catalog (http://pharos.csun.edu/webpac/pharosstart.html) provides a single search of all of the CSU libraries' catalogs. The Melvyl Catalog (http://www.melvyl.ucop.edu/) includes all the book and periodical holdings for the UC libraries.
  3. You may also Request (http://library.csun.edu/reqnew.html) that the Library purchase a title. This is a slower process than Interlibrary Loan.

Need more help? Ask a Librarian


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