How to use the Online Catalogue

What is the Online Catalogue and how do you use it?
The Online Catalogue is the chief tool for finding resources in the library. You will find it on the Dorset website by using any computer in the college or your home computer. Simply click on the Search Catalogue button.

A catalogue is a list of all the material in the library. Material can be searched by:

Author – Last name, First Name, OR Last name
Title – Full title, OR First word in a title
Subject
Keyword – a word found anywhere in the catalogue record.

All books in the library are catalogued according to the Library of Congress Classification System. To learn more about the Library of Congress Classification System please visit the LC official website. Most colleges and libraries in North America use the LCC system.

When you find the book you are looking for in the catalogue, write down its Call Number (E.g. HD30.22 .B38 2005), and its location, General Stacks or Reference. 

What is a call number?
A call number tells you where the book is located on the Library shelves. Each book, periodical, journal, etc., has its own unique call number which is attached to the book's spine or bottom left hand corner of the cover. A book's call number also appears in the catalog entry in the Library's Online Catalogue.

 
Reading Call Numbers
The Library of Congress arranges materials by subject, or 'class'. The first section of the call number represents the subject of the book. The second section often represents the author's name, and the last section is the date of publication.