Posts Tagged ‘books’

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How do I use a call number to find a book?

Monday, June 3rd, 2013

The books in the Main Library stacks are organized by their Library of Congress (LC) call numbers, which are found in the catalog…

… and on the book’s spine.

Call number on book spine

1. When searching the library catalog, you want to be sure to write down the complete LC call number in order to locate the book on the shelf.

Read the call number line-by-line to locate the book in the stacks:

Reading Library of Congress Call numbers

2. Use the map of the stacks to find the location of the subject.

3. Fit the first two lines of the call number within the ranges provided on the stacks. For example, Z665 falls between Z8 and Z669.5, because numbers with fewer digits are shelved before numbers with more digits (e.g. both Z8 and Z9 will be shelved before Z89) so the book is shelved on this shelf:

Image of stacks range with signage

Can’t fit in the small space between the shelving? See this Research Guide for information about the Moveable Shelving in the Library.

4. Go alphabetically and numerically until you find the correct class (Z), subclass (Z) category (665) and subcategory (.L69) until you find the book:

books on shelf

If you have questions or would like assistance, stop by the Research Center on the Main Level.

Learn more about using Library of Congress Call numbers to browse for books on your topic here.

Finally, if you prefer, the Library can retrieve books that are in the Main Library for you using the “Request It” book paging system.  Read more about that service here.

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How do I access audio books?

Friday, May 3rd, 2013

In addition to books, articles, and other resources, the University Libraries website also contains audio books that you can download for free with a few simple steps:

1. Go to the library website homepage at library.du.edu and click on the “Books, Journals, and More” tab.

2. Click on the “Classic Catalog” link.

3. Click on “University Libraries.”

4. Use the dropdown menu to select “Genre.”

5. Type “audiobook” into the search box and click “Submit.”

6. The title selections will appear in alphabetical order. Select a title.

7. Click on the link to access the audio recording.

8. Click on the audio file to listen to your selection.

At this time, we are just beginning to add audio books to our collection.  For more current titles, check out the selections available at public libraries by searching Prospector, the state-wide catalog system.

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How do I suggest a purchase?

Friday, December 7th, 2012

The Library welcomes suggestions for books and DVDs for purchase and will usually purchase materials suggested by students, faculty, and staff that further our mission “to support the teaching and research programs of the University.”  To make a suggestion, click on the Suggest a Purchase link under Collections on the Students, Faculty, or Staff landing pages.   If you would like to be notified when the item is ordered, you may include your email with your request.   You may also request to have the item held for you once it is received and processed.

Faculty, please note that requests for new items to be placed on reserve should be emailed to the Reserves Department (reserve@du.edu) to ensure they are ordered and received in time for your course.  For more details about placing materials on course reserves, please refer to our online guide.  If you have any questions about how our collections can support your teaching and research or have suggestions for databases please contact your subject-specialist liaison librarian.

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Can I use my tablet computer to read library e-books?

Tuesday, July 31st, 2012

Yes, you can use your ipad, tablet PC, or e-reader to read library e-books! We have a number of e-book collections including:

Books 24×7
Ebrary
Electronic Books Library (EBL)
Springer E-books
NetLibrary

How do I find library e-books?
Search the library’s catalog by going to the library’s homepage, library.du.edu, clicking on the “Books, Journals & More” tab, and searching for a book title or a topic. You can then view all of the results of your search that are digital by clicking “Internet” as the “Location” on the left-hand side of the screen.

Note that many physical titles in Penrose Library are also available as e-books. The electronic version of a book will be listed separately in the library catalog. Be sure to look for the term “[electronic resource]” after the book’s title in your search results.

Other ways to find e-books through the library are described in our E-Book Research Guide.

How do I download and print?

The e-book world is complex, with many different tablets and readers (including NOOK, iPad, Kindle Fire, and Kobo) as well as many different e-book providers. The librarians at Penrose Library have created an E-book Research Guide to help you download and print from our different e-book providers using your tablet computer or reader.

This is a fast changing world so please let us know if you have any questions or updates for our Research Guide (research-help@du.edu or 303-871-2905).

Happy e-reading!

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How are books delivered from the Hampden Center?

Monday, April 2nd, 2012

Many people wonder how the Penrose Library book delivery system works.  How exactly are you able to make a request online and, within two hours (from 7am-11pm Monday – Sunday), hold that book or DVD in your hand?

All of Penrose Library’s physical collections are housed ten miles from campus in the University’s Hampden Center building during the Academic Commons building project.  There they are stored on high-density shelves for quick retrieval and delivery to campus.

Library staff  make multiple daily trips to and from Hampden Center in a hybrid Prius car.   When items are checked in at Penrose@Driscoll, the person making the request receives an email telling them their item is ready to be picked up.

Watch this fun, high-speed video to see the entire process yourself!

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Does Penrose Library have textbooks?

Monday, December 12th, 2011

While Penrose Library doesn’t specifically purchase textbooks when they are assigned for classes at DU, many books required for classes are already in the library collections.  Search for books on the Books and More tab of the library’s homepage.

To provide all students access to course textbooks, many professors choose to place a print copy (the library’s or their own) of course texts on Course Reserves at the library. These items can be checked out at the Penrose@Driscoll Access Services Desk for a limited loan period.

Students may also use Prospector to request books from other libraries.  Keep in mind that other libraries generally assign a three week loan period with one renewal, which may not be enough time for students in a ten week course.

Feel free to contact the Research Center (303-871-2905, research-help@du.edu, IM/chat) for assistance in searching for copies of assigned course texts at Penrose, on Course Reserves, or from another library through Prospector.

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How can I get research help?

Monday, February 28th, 2011

The Research Center answers all levels of research questions – from basic to complex – seven days a week.    Our hours during the quarter are

  • Sunday, Noon – Midnight
  • Monday-Tuesday, 9 am – Midnight
  • Wednesday-Thursday, 9 am – 9 pm
  • Friday, 9 am – 5 pm
  • Saturday, 10 am – 6 pm

There are many ways to reach us

  • In person -  Main Level Penrose Library
  • Phone – 303-871-2905
  • Text -720-515-2150
  • Email
  • Chat/IM

Research consultation appointments offer one-on-one help for students and faculty with subject specialist librarians.  These are available seven days a week as well.  Request an appointment online today!

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How do I access my library account?

Monday, January 3rd, 2011

You can access your library account (to check on the status of requests, to view lists of what you have checked out, and to renew materials) from the Penrose Library home page. 

When you mouse over the Students, Faculty, or Staff landing page links, a menu will pop up with a link to View Account: 

There is also a link to View Account on each of the landing pages, located alphabetically under the “For Research” category on the Faculty landing page…

 

 …and under “Services” on the Students and Staff landing pages:

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How much does the library spend on books and journals?

Thursday, September 9th, 2010

As of 2010, we have a materials budget of $5,355,230.  Of that, $1.4 Million is used to purchase print serials and $2.1 Million goes to web-based serial sources.  We will buy $1.6 Million worth of print books and ebooks this year.  The rest of the materials budget is used for other items.

How does this compare to other doctoral granting universities?  We have recent data for comparison in the 2007 ACRL Academic Library Trends and Statistics series of books.  In 2007, our materials budget was $4,483,000.  Compared to some other universities, we are in the pretty good shape.  For example:

  • Lehigh University $4,301,000
  • Villanova $4,140,000
  • College of William and Mary $4,020,000
  • University of Wyoming $3,390,000
  • Brandeis University $3,272,000
  • Depaul University $2,701,000
  • University of Colorado at Denver $2,491,000
  • University of Dayton $1,775,000

If you would like to recommend a purchase, let us know.

Joe

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How can I find foreign language materials in Penrose Library?

Monday, August 30th, 2010

If you wish to find books, DVDs, or other materials on a topic in a foreign language, type your keywords into the “Find Books and More” search box on the main library webpage, and then, on the results page, click on the language of your choice using the facets menu on the left.

For example, if you wish to find books on immigration into Italy in Italian, type your keywords into the search box…

…and on the results page, click on Italian in the facets menu to the left:

You can further limit this search by clicking on DVD/Videos on the facets menu.

If you wish to find everything we have in Japanese in the library, use the “Advanced Catalog Searches” option. From the library home page, click on “Advanced Catalog Searches,” and then on the next page, click on “Advanced Keyword Search.” On the following page, type two asterisks (**) into the first search box, and change the language drop down menu to Japanese, and click on the “Search” button.

You will retrieve items that have all or part of the content in Japanese:

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