How Libraries Classify Books (and How to Take Advantage of it!)

Materials (books, journals, magazines, etc.) in the library are now classified according to the Library of Congress ("LC" ) system.
LC assigns call numbers, which we use to shelve the books, by subjects. We use LC Subject Headings in our online catalog.
Learning to use them can help you save time and find books you might not get using only keyword searches.

Use the LC system to browse for books

Find a book that is relevant to your project by searching the online catalog using keywords.
Then choose one or more of the results and click the title to see the full catalog record.
Choose the 'Subjects' tab to see the LC Subject Headings.

Click on any of the subject headings to see a whole set of books about a topic
(Example: United States - Emigration and immigration - Social Aspects).

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