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ENG 250 -- Prof. Pastore

Professor Sarah Cohn

Head of Reference

October 9, 2025

CCNY LIBRARIES

PRINT BOOKS

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AGENDA

Aboutness

Library organization

OneSearch

Stacks adventure

Getting help

TODAY'S

ABOUTNESS

Choose a Book!

  • What is it about?

  • Look at the cover, title page, table of contents, index, skim a few paragraphs of the first chapter

  • On the post it, write 3-5 key words you think encapsulate what the book is about

  • Bonus: what one thing is the book most about?

And grab a post it

  • Vanessa Bell
  • Art
  • Painting
  • Oil painting
  • Abstract painting
  • Modernism
  • Post-impressionism
  • England
  • London
  • Bloomsbury Group

ORGANIZATION

LIBRARY

  • Research libraries use the Library of Congress Classification call number system

    • Developed in 1897 for the Library of Congress collection

  • Each book gets a call number, functionally a book address

  • What the book is about determines what call number it gets, and subsequently where in the library it goes

    • Call numbers start with a letter

    • Each letter is a subject area

    • This is where what the book is most about comes into play

 

Library of Congress Classification Call Numbers

Organize the books we have according to call number, to the best of our abilities

Toni Morrison

Black Panthers

New York City

Sculpture

PS 3563 .O8749 B4 1987
PS 3563 .O8749 B438 1999
PS 3563 .O8749 P37 2014
PS 3563 .O8749 P377 1999

TR 681 .B52 S53 2022
E 185 .615 .S7247 2024

F 1435.3 .S34 O54 2024
NB 497 .H4 A4 1994
NB 1296.2 .R87 1989

F 128.65 .T5 I58 1991
F 128.9 .P85 F47 2020
F 128.9 .P85 L44 2014
F 130 .N4 P47 2011
HD 8039 .T162 U636 2007
HD 9999 .C9473 N49 2007
HV 9481 .N62 R555 2023
JC 599 .U52 C35 2011
LD 3818.8 .T72 1994

CATALOG

LIBRARY

What trails do you want to follow?

Take key words, ideas, & concepts from your writing

You will use those to search the library catalog

library.ccny.cuny.edu

OneSearch

Databases

  • Access to all 200+ databases at CCNY
  • Alphabetical or sort by subject
  • Disciplinary databases for narrower/more specific searching
  • Catalog of print & ebooks
  • Request books from other CUNY Libraries
  • Also searches for scholarly articles
  • Casts a wide net--multidisciplinary

library.ccny.cuny.edu

STACKS!

HIT THE

How to Find a Book

  • In the online catalog, the call number is horizontal: PS 3515 .U789 2018
  • On books, the call number is vertical. Start at the top, then move to each line in order. 
  • The combination of the first two lines will direct you to the floor and row of shelves.

Start here to find the correct floor

Next, find the aisle that encompasses this number within the correct letter range

In the aisle, look at the call numbers on the books and match this row. Only one book will have this number within the broader range

Last line is the publication year

Call Number Locations

Cohen Library

Getting Help

Professor Sarah Cohn

Head of Reference

scohn@ccny.cuny.edu

ccny.libcal.com/appointments/scohn

Reference Desk: Cohen Library

Monday-Thursday 10am-7pm

Friday 10am-4pm