Identifying the Books You Want: Bibliographies and Catalogs

• In-depth information on a topic
• General discussions
• Detailed analyses
• Compilation of scholarly thought
• Historical topics
• Literary criticism
• Methods and procedures

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

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

• Approximately half of the Library's book and periodical collection is shelved (http://library.csun.edu/shelvlocs.html) in the open stacks on the second, third, and fourth floors of the CSUN University Library. Location codes (http://library.csun.edu/locations.html) for books will reflect whether they are on the open shelves or at other locations in the Library.
• The University Library uses 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.

How to Retrieve Books that are Stored (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

• Undergraduates may check out 20 items; each item may be renewed three times.
• Graduate students may have 30 items checked out at one time; each item may be renewed a maximum of five times.
• Periodicals, reference books, and special collections materials do not circulate outside the Library.
• CSUN faculty may borrow circulating books for a period of up to one year, depending on when you
  checked the book out. Materials on loan to faculty are due back each February 1st. Faculty may
  renew items once, for an additional one-year loan. Faculty are encouraged to return books that they
  no longer need, so that others may have access to them.
• Library materials may be renewed by bringing them to the Circulation desk, by calling the renewal phone line at (818) 677-4745 (available 24 hours a day), by using the Library's Online Catalog (http://suncat.csun.edu/patroninfo.html), or by filling out the Library's Renewal Request Form (http://library.csun.edu/renewal.html).
• To put a hold on checked out Library materials, click the Place a Hold button when searching the Online Catalog. After Circulation receives the item(s), a notification will be sent to you, and the located/recalled item(s) will be held for you for one week. Not all Library materials are subject to a hold.
• For more information, please refer to the Circulation Policies (http://library.csun.edu/circpol.html) page.

What If the Library Does Not Own the Book You Need?

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.