FYW 100P- 02 - Introduction to Academic Writing PLUS / Hayes, Sean

There are plenty of helpful physical items available to you at the RIC Adams Library.

There are two main collections that will be relevant to you: the general collection and the reference collection.

The general collection (Adams Library Main Stacks) is what you would normally think of as a library book - a book that you can check out and remove from the library.

The reference collection is a collection of books that are free to be used, but must remain within the library. This is generally because reference books can be utilized relatively quickly and are applicable to a large number of users.

Like many other academic libraries, RIC utilizes the Library of Congress classification system to organize books. In both collections, books are organized on the shelves of the library using a call number - which can colloquially be considered the address of the book.

The call number is generally printed on a sticker on the book's spine, or sometimes it is located on the front cover of the book. Call numbers work the same way for both collections, but titles in the reference collection will have the prefix REF ahead of the alpha-numeric call number.

This system makes it easy to find additional relevant sources just by browsing the shelves, because nearby items will often be related.

The most straightforward way to find a book relevant to your topic is to search the catalog.

1. Enter your keywords into the RIC catalog search
2. The default search will be set to show all item formats in libraries worldwide - to limit to physical books in the RIC library, select "RIC Adams Library" under "Held By Library" and "Print Book" under "Format"
3. Scroll through the search results until you've found something useful - adjust your search terms if necessary
4. When you've located a book, the item's record will indicate:
   1. Whether the item is available at the library
   2. To which collection the item belongs (Adams Library Main Stacks = loanable; Adams Library Reference = not loanable)
   3. The book's call number
   4. The "Locate" link will show you a map of exactly where the book is shelved in the library

For more information, please see Finding Books Made Easier!

The Library of Congress system makes it easy to browse the shelves because related books are generally shelved together. If you do not already know what class a subject falls under, you can consult the Library of Congress Classification Outline to find call numbers related to your subject.