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

See the floorplan and floor guides to find out which numbers are on which floors.

Watch this video [coming soon!] or follow the instructions below.

1. Use Library Search to find the collection (e.g. Main Collection) and the shelfmark of the book you want to find.
2. 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.
3. Example: Transforming Behaviour in the Classroom by Geoffrey James has the shelfmark 371.1024 JAM.
   The number indicates the subject: 371.1024 = classroom management.
   The letters are the first three letters of the author's surname: Geoffrey JAMES.
4. Find out what numbers are on which floors using the floorplans and floorguides in the Library.
5. The shelfend signs on the end of each row of shelves tell you where to find the number.
6. You often find more than one book with the same number which is why you need the three letters of the author's surname.
7. For example, there are hundreds of books on classroom management at 371.1024 which are shelved alphabetically by surname.

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.