Hiram College Library: CCP/FDLA/WRIT off-campus: Find Books

Finding Books: An Overview

There are multiple ways to get books via the Hiram College Library

eBooks (Available using your Hiram user ID and password.)
Physical books (Available by visiting the physical library. We do not ship books directly to students.)

OhioLINK:
OhioLINK includes the collections of all academic libraries in Ohio. Use their catalog to search for physical and electronic books.

OhioLINK eBooks are available via the eBook Center. Use your library barcode to access these items.
Physical books can be sent to the Hiram College Library for pickup, or you can request to have them sent to the OhioLINK library closest to you. (Note that you must have your Hiram College ID to pick up books at another OhioLINK library.)
OhioLINK eJournals are available via the Electronic Journal Center. Use your library barcode to access these items.

SearchOhio:
SearchOhio includes the collections of many Ohio public libraries. Search their catalog to request physical books only. You may opt to have the books delivered to the Hiram College Library. Or, if you have a public library card at a SearchOhio library, use that card to have the books sent to your public library.

Search the Hiram College Library Catalog

The Library Catalog includes records for books, eBooks, Audio/Visual sources, and other materials that are held in the Hiram College Library. In order to find articles from databases we recommend that you initially try Academic Search Complete. For additional databases use the A to Z Databases & Electronic Resources for articles.

Go Find 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

Choosing Search Terms: Keywords vs Subject

Subject headings describe the content of each item in a database. Use these headings to find relevant items on the same topic. Searching by subject headings (a.k.a. descriptors) is the most precise way to search article databases or the library's catalog for books.

It is not easy to guess which subject headings are used in a given database. For example, the phone book's Yellow Pages use subject headings. If you look for "Movie Theatres" you will find nothing, as they are listed under the subject heading "Theatres - Movies."

Keyword searching is how you typically search web search engines. Think of important words or phrases and type them in to get results.

Here are some key points about each type of search:

Keywords	vs.	Subjects
natural language words describing your topic - good to start with		pre-defined "controlled vocabulary" words used to describe the content of each item (book, journal article) in a database
more flexible to search by - can combine together in many ways		less flexible to search by - need to know the exact controlled vocabulary term
database looks for keywords anywhere in the record - not necessarily connected together		database looks for subjects only in the subject heading or descriptor field, where the most relevant words appear
may yield too many or too few results		if too many results - also uses subheadings to focus on one aspect of the broader subject
may yield many irrelevant results		results usually very relevant to the topic

When you search a database and do not get the results you expect, Ask Us for advice.

Finding a Book

Find a Physical Book

Find an eBook

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