Welcome!
If you are new to the research process, or are feeling overwhelmed, visit our guide, "How to Get Started with Research."
Catalog Search Tips
Search for books by either Keywords or Subject Headings. Start with a Keyword search and identify some relevant books. Then look at the subject headings for those books. You can follow the subject heading links in the catalog to find similar books, or you can use the terms in the subject headings to identify other keywords to try.
Keyword Search:
Montaigne AND essais
Subject Heading(s):
French literature -- 16th century -- History and criticism.
French literature -- To 1500 -- History and criticism.
Call Numbers & Locations
Generally:
| If the call number begins with.... |
Go to: |
| A - G | Dinand Stacks, Mezzanine (Upper) Level |
| H - L | Dinand Stacks, Ground (Lower) Level |
| M | Music Library |
| N, TR | Dinand Visual Arts Wing, Main Level |
| P | Dinand Stacks, Ground (Lower) Level |
| Q - T | Science Library |
| U - Z | Dinand Stacks, Ground (Lower) Level |
Oversize Books
If a book is listed as being located in one of the following locations...
Dinand Library Oversize
Music Library Oversize
OR, if the call number includes a plus sign (+) -- for example, B2294 +G34 2011 --, it means that the book is taller than normal and had to be stored separately, in the oversize section. Oversize books are located at the end of each letter section. For example, you would find the call number above between the 'normal' B section and the start of the C section. Some call numbers have a ++, and will be found between the + section and before the start of the next letter section. There is no oversize section in the Science Library.
Journals
To see our online journals, visit the EJournals Search.
Recent journals and newspapers in print are located in the Dinand Main Reading Room.
These are organized A-Z on the left side of the Main Reading Room (opposite the patio).
The Science Library keeps new journals (unbound, single issues of journals published in the current calendar year) organized A-Z in the front (East) end of the library. Older issues are bound together into hard cover volumes. These bound journals, as well as single issues of journals published previously to the current year, are located in the back (West) end of the Science Library.
Recent periodicals in the Music Library are stored A-Z on the periodical shelf, for easy reading. Back issues of each journal are stored behind the displays.
At Holy Cross, we organize our books using a system called Library of Congress Classification or LCC. LCC is based on the subject of the books. Each letter represents a specific subject. Each subject is broken down into more specific letter sections, each of which is further broken down into number ranges for specific topics. For example:
- P is the area for languages and literature, and has subsections from PA to PZ covering the study of language and the literature of different languages and cultures.
- PR is the section for English language literature.
- PR750 to PR890 is the number range for English prose literature.
You will also see extra numbers and letters on the end of most call numbers, which are based on things like the author’s name. We use these to give each book a unique spot on the library shelves.
Library of Congress Classification Areas:
|
A |
General Philosophy, Psychology & Religion Archaelogy, Genealogy, etc. World History General History of Americas & U.S. Local History of Americas & U.S. Geography & Anthropology |
H |
Social Sciences Political Science Law Education Music Fine Arts Languages & Literatures |
Q R S T U V Z |
Sciences |
|
|
Culture as History: The Transformation of American Society in the Twentieth Century by Warren I. Susman. |
|
|
Dinand E169.1 .S9733 1984 |
Location Subject (General U.S. History) Author (Susman) Publication date |
|
For more details about Library of Congress Classification, please see the
Library of Congress' Classification Outline.
- Books are arranged alphabetically by the first letter or letters, then numerically by the number following the letter(s).
- If the first letter and number combination is the same, then shelve alphabetically by the next letter and in decimal order by the following number. Ex - B3.C3 1990 comes before B3.D4 1990
- The last line of the call number often represents the year of publication.
WorldCat
If you are a looking for a book that we do not own in the Holy Cross Collections, you can use WorldCat to request it through interlibrary loan.
- WorldCat This link opens in a new window
A world-wide catalog of books, journals, audiovisual materials, and other sources available in libraries worldwide. Includes direct links to request items on Interlibrary Loan.