The Civil War: Finding Books

Books in the library are organized by call number. A call number indicates the spot of each book on the shelf. The call number also indicates the subject of the book. For example, all scientific books on medicine will be in the 600s. To learn which numbers match with each subject area, click here.

The library catalog includes the call number for each book. An example of a call number is:

616.053 R223 2018

This book will be located in the 600s section of the stacks in numerical order. Locate this book by moving numerically and alphabetically from left to right. There may not be a book cataloged for every number and letter, but they will still be in numerical and alphabetical order.

First, the hundreds:

615

616

617

Then the decimal:

616.051

616.053

616.054

Then the letter:

616.053 Q

616.053 R

616.053 T

Then the final decimal:

616.053 R222

616.053 R223

616.053 R224

Finally, the year, if present:

616.053 R223

616.053 R223 2018

616.053 R223 2020

Can't find the book you need?  There are several options for requesting an item.

1. Before requesting a book, check the Library Catalog to make sure the library does not have a print or electronic copy of the title.
2. If Alvernia does not have a print or digital copy of the book, use our Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service to request it.
3. Providing the title, author, and publication date will help the library locate the correct book. If you do not have a full citation for it, searching the title under Books in WorldCat may help you locate a more complete record to fully populate the ILL request.
4. Books are delivered to the Franco Library through the mail. You will be notified to pick up your book when it arrives. Special arrangements can be made for pickup at the Philadelphia or Schuylkill Centers.

Need help?  Ask a Librarian!