Resources in the Library

We use a numbering system called Dewey Decimal Classification to organise collections of resources in the Library into subjects.

There are ten subject groups:

• 000-099 Computer science, information and general works
• 100-199 Philosophy and psychology
• 200-299 Religion
• 300-399 Social sciences
• 400-499 Language
• 500-599 Science
• 600-699 Technology
• 700-799 Arts and recreation
• 800-899 Literature
• 900-999 History and geography

Use Library Search to find the location and the shelfmark of the book you want to borrow.

In this example, Transforming Behaviour in the Classroom by Geoffrey James:

• The collection is Main Collection - 1st floor
• The shelfmark is 371.1024 JAM

The shelfmark is printed on the spine of the book and is made up of a number and three letters. You need the whole number and the letters to find the book.

• The Dewey number indicates the subject: 371.1024 = classroom management.
• The letters are the first three letters of the author's surname: Geoffrey JAMES.

The shelfend signs on the end of each row of shelves tell you where to find the number.

You need the three letters of the author's surname because you often find more than one book with the same number. For example, there are hundreds of books on classroom management at 371.1024 and they are shelved alphabetically by surname.

At the Horsforth Campus Library, the Main Collection is split over three floors. Library Search tells you which floor the book is on. You can use the floor plans and guides to find out which collections are on which floors and which Main Collection numbers are on which floors.

At the Leeds City Campus Library you can see our City floor plans (coming soon!) to check where your item should be.

Some copies of books and other items are marked with a Reference sticker which means that you can use them in the Library but you can't borrow them.

We do this so that you have access to key texts when all the other copies have been borrowed.