Hiram College Library: UCS 20201 Course Guide: Finding Books &amp; eBooks

Advanced Search

OneSource will search multiple resources at once!

Tip: Use a keyword search instead of a whole question. Then narrow down the results with the filters on the side.

A-Z List of Databases
Search journals by subject, type, or name

Ohio Academic Libraries
Borrow books from academic libraries across Ohio and pick up at Hiram College Library with OhioLINK!
Ohio Public Libraries
Borrow from public libraries across Ohio and pick up at Hiram College Library with SearchOhio!

What types of materials can I borrow through SearchOhio and OhioLINK? You can request print materials, audiobooks, music, movies and other formats.
How long before I receive my requested material? Most arrive within a week, but it depends on their availability. You’ll be notified by email when they arrive.
How do I return items? Drop them off at Hiram Library!
Are there different rules for borrowing? Yes. Items have different loan periods, renewal limits, daily fine rates and replacement costs than the items you borrow from Hiram College Library.

Find a Physical Book

Find an Ebook

Borrow Course Reserves

Sometimes professors put textbooks and other course materials on reserve. These items have a two-hour checkout limit. Use your Hiram ID to check them out. Search here to see what is on reserve!

Borrow from Other Libraries

You can request books from academic and public libraries across the state of Ohio and have them sent right here to Hiram at no cost to you by using OhioLINK and SearchOhio!

Finding Your Book

Understanding Search Results:

Your search of the online catalog of Books, CDs, and DVDs in the Hiram College Library has led you to the following. How do you find it on the shelf? How do you know if it is an eBook or a print book?

Print book example:

*Author*	Koritansky, John C.
*Title*	Alexis de Tocqueville and the new science of politics : an interpretation of Democracy in America / John C.Koritansky.
*Imprint*	Durham, N.C. : Carolina Academic Press, c2010.

Permanent Link

LOCATION

CALL #

STATUS

HIRAM Main Collection

320.1 Toc-K 2010

AVAILABLE

eBook example:

You need 3 pieces of information to find an item here.

The location tells you which floor in the building or whether it is an eBook.
The call number tells you where on the floor (in this case it is like a street address) or what type of eBook it is. Click "View online" to read an eBook.
The status tells you if it should be on the shelf or not or whether it is an online book. Most eBooks have unlimited access and can be read by multiple users at a time.

eBooks provided by the OhioLINK and OPAL consortia look a little bit different, but you should always click "View online" to read them.

Dewey Decimal Classification

The main Dewey Decimal classes are:

000 Generalities
100 Philosophy and psychology
200 Religion
300 Social Sciences
400 Language
500 Natural sciences and mathematics
600 Technology (Applied sciences)
700 The arts (fine and decorative)
800 Literature and rhetoric
900 Geography and history

Each class is further subdivided at the hundred divisions and the thousand sections. Numbers are placed after a decimal point to further identify material more specifically by subject.

The following table below will help with the most frequent locations.

On every entry in the Hiram College Library catalog you will find a section below the Title that looks like this:

LOCATION entry tells you where the item is located physically in the building.

Table of Locations

Location	Call Number	Arranged by	Floor
Main Collection	0 through 799.99999999	Dewey Call Number	2nd floor
Main Collection	800 through 999.999999	Dewey Call Number	3rd floor
Fiction	Call numbers start with "F"	Alphabetically by Author	4th floor (Clock Tower)
Music Scores	All call numbers	Dewey Call Number	2nd floor
CD Collection	Call numbers start with musical genre	Genre then composer or artist	Lower Level Chamberlain Room
Film Collection	0 through 999.9999999	Dewey Call Number	Lower Level Chamberlain Room
Film Collection	Call numbers start with "Feature Film"	Alphabetically by Title	Lower Level Chamberlain Room
Juvenile Nonfiction	0 through 999.9999999	Dewey Call Number	2nd floor
Juvenile Fiction	Call numbers start with "JF"	Alphabetically by Author	2nd floor
Picture Books	Call numbers start with "PB"	Alphabetically by Author	2nd floor
Board Books	Call numbers start with "BB"	Alphabetically by Author	2nd floor
Oversize	Call numbers start with a "Q"	Dewey Call Number	2nd floor
Folio	Call numbers start with "Folio"	Dewey Call Number	2nd floor
Government Documents	Call numbers start with an abbreviation of the agency that produced the document	SuDocs system	3rd floor

The following table below will help with the most frequent locations.

On every entry in the Hiram College Library catalog you will find a section below the Title that looks like this:

STATUS entry tells you if it is on the shelf or not and if not, why.

Table of Statuses

Status	Meaning
Available	Should be on Shelf. If you cannot find the item, please ask us!
Due (followed by a date)	Checked out and is due back on date given. You may borrow a copy through OhioLINK, if a copy is available.
Due (followed by a date) Off Campus	Checked out to an OhioLINK borrower and due on the date given. You may borrow a copy through OhioLINK, if a copy is available.
New Book Shelf	May be found on the New Book Shelf on the main floor and may be checked out.
Missing	Book cannot be found. You may borrow a copy through OhioLINK, if a copy is available.
In Repair	Book is damaged and waiting to be repaired. You may borrow a copy through OhioLINK, if a copy is available.
Lib Use Only	Should be on the shelf. May not be checked out, but may be used in the library.
Use Online	An Internet resource that you may use online. Check the full record for the link to the item or click "View Online."
In Process	The book has been ordered. It may not have arrived yet, or it may be waiting for its labels and stickers before it goes on the shelf. If you have an urgent need for a title "In Process," contact library@hiram.edu with the book's full title and author.

What if the book is checked out?

You can wait until the book gets returned to check it out.
You can request the book through OhioLink or SearchOhio which might mean you will have it in your hands sooner.
You can place the book on hold in the Hiram Library catalog by clicking the "Request" button below the item record.

What if the book has a link instead of a call number?
If you see “Electronic Resource” or "View Online" instead of a call number, click on the title to open the record and then click the link to view the item.

What if the Library Catalog does not list the book I need?
Please check OhioLink and/or SearchOhio. You can request books yourself with your Hiram College ID, and they will be delivered to our library. If that does not work, fill out the InterLibrary Loan Form or ask us to consider purchasing it for the library by emailing us at library@hiram.edu

Renew and Borrow

Why am I seeing all of these Government Documents?

Hiram College Library is a Federal Depository Library Program Member. This means that we preserve government documents for students, faculty, and the community to access. Sometimes, depending on your search result, you might find that the Government Documents are cluttering your search results. To fix that, use the collections limiter.

You can learn more about our Government Documents Collection on our Guide.

Collection Limiter in Book Search:
Select the Collection limiter to reduce your results to a particular part of the library, such as the film collection, juvenile collection, or government documents. Since the Government Documents collection is so large, it can sometimes overwhelm your results. Use the "All Collections Except Gov Docs" limiter to remove them from your search.

Subject Headings

Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) LCSH is a controlled vocabulary developed by the U.S. Library of Congress for indexing, cataloging, and searching bibliographic records. It is widely used in libraries to help you find materials more effectively.