Find Books in Memorial Library: Home

When you find your book online, you will have all the information you need to find the book. Just take note of the collection and the call number. The collection is the group of books your book lives with, and the call number is the exact location (think of it like an address) of the book on the shelf.

To find the book in the library, you'll need this information on hand. Either write this call number and collection down, text it to yourself, print the book's information, or use the email option to email yourself the book's information.

Then, bring this information into Memorial Library to find your book!

Books in the library are divided into collections. Each collection has a specific location. Use the table below to locate which floor your book is on.

What's a Call Number?

Libraries use a classification system of letters and/or numbers ( also known as the call numbers) to arrange the books  on the shelf. The call numbers make sure that books on the same topic are shelved together. This means that when you  go find your book on the shelf, there's probably a bunch of books near it on the same topic. We call this "serendipitous browsing:" Libraries in the United States generally use the Library of Congress Classification System or the Dewey Decimal Classification System to organize their books. Most academic libraries, like us here at MSU, use the Library of Congress Classification System (LC)

How to Read a Call Number

Book title: Uncensored War: The Media and Vietnam
Author: Daniel C. Hallin
Call Number: DS559.46 .H35 1986

 Lines 1 & 2: The first two lines describe the subject of the book.
 In this case, DS 559.45 = Vietnamese Conflict

Line 3: The third line usually represents the author's last name. In this case
H = Hallin

Last line: The last line represents the date of publication. Older items may not include the year

Tips for Finding Books on the Shelf

Read call numbers line by line.

1. Check the letters in the first line. In this case: LB. These will be on the shelf in alphabetical order: A, B, BA, BC, BF, BS, C, D, DA, DD... 
2.  After that, read the numbers following the letters: 2395. These will be in numeric order. Read it as a whole number: 1, 2, 3, 45, 100, 101, 102, 1000, 2000, 2430...
3. The third line is a combination of a letter and numbers. In this case .C65. Start with the letter; these are alphabetical just like the first line. After that, the number from smallest to largest. However, read this number as a decimal number (imagine a bunch of zeros at the end). So, in order, call numbers would line up like this: C659, C66, C674, C68....
   (Some call numbers have more than one combination letter-number line.)
4.  The last line is the year the book was published. In this case, 1991.  Some older items do not include the year. Read in chronological order: 1985, 1991, 1992...

Here's a shelf of books with the call numbers and their order explained.

Content for this box provided by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. The original content can be found through the Online Library Learning Center.

Once you find your book, take it to the Circulation Desk on the first floor. Your MavCard is your library card! Take the books and your MavCard to the circulation desk by the entrance.

The following table lists how long you can check out items.