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Lakehead University and LU Library

Research Guide for High School Students

How to use Lakehead University's Libraries

Searching for Books in OMNI

 

Start by going to the Lakehead Library Search Page

If you know the Title of the book or the Author you are searching for:

  1. To the immediate left of the search bar, click Browse by and choose author OR title
    • If searching by author, reverse their name - Austen, Jane NOT Jane Austen
  2. Type in the title OR author and hit search
  3. Under Availability on the left hand side of your screen, limit your results to Available at Lakehead Libraries
  4. Scroll through the results to see if any match

 

Found a Match Did Not Find a Match
  • Come into the library, locate the item, and check it out at the front desk
  • To locate an item, see the Finding a Book in the Library section below
  • If you are unsure of where to locate the item, the front desk staff can assist you in navigating the collection
  • Search for the book at the public library 

If you don't have a specific title or author in mind, you can browse by subject or create a search statement to find material that is relevant to your topic.

 

Create a Search  Browse by Subject
  1. Use the Creating a Search process to create a search statement
  2. Once you have entered your search, filter the results to books/e-books
    • In OMNI, this is under the Resource Type filter
  3. See if there is a book that fits your needs
  4. Place a hold on the item(s) or come into the library to find it 
  1. Select Browse by subject
  2. Input the subject you are looking for and hit search
  3. See if there is a book that fits your needs
  4. Place a hold on the item(s) or come into the library to find it 

You can also search for books on Google, and see if we have them in our collection through the Google Books process

Finding a Book in the Library

How the Library Organizes Books

  • Most academic libraries use the Library of Congress Classification (LLC) system to organize their collections
  • This means that each book gets a unique call number based on what the book is about, who wrote it, and the year it was published
  • By organizing books this way, you may locate one book and then browse the section for similar items on that topic

What is a Call Number?

  • A call number is like the address of a book in a library. We use call numbers to find out where each item lives throughout the building
  • You will most often find the call number on the spine of a book. In some cases, you may find it on the cover of a book. Call numbers can also be found during your search in OMNI
  • The call number is made up of a series of letters and numbers that help classify the materials by subject

How to Read a Call Number

Most often, a call number is made of 4 sections. If a call number has more or less than these 4 sections, the same principles apply for reading it.

You read a call number by starting with Line 1 and ending with Line 4:

  • Line 1 - Subject Classification: Is made of one or two letters
  • Line 2 - Subject Subdivision: Is made up of numbers
  • Line 3 - Cutter Number: Is made up of letters and numbers
  • Line 4 - Publication Date/Edition: Is made up of numbers and is typically the year of publication 

Once you have found the book you want on the Library's website, you will have to find it on the shelves. To do this, you will need to note the call number and floor the book is on. Each row of shelves will be labelled with the range of books that are located on the shelf.

Once you have noted the call number and floor, you will locate the book by:

 

Step Example
Go to the corresponding floor In the example below, it would be the fourth floor
Find the shelves with the label that matches the first two letters of the call number Find the section of shelves labeled with PQ
Find the shelf with the call number range that matches the letters and the first number of your item

The shelf range that matches is PQ 1981 - PQ 2254, as PQ 2228 falls in-between
Find the books that match line 1 and 2, then find the books that match line 3 and finally line 4

Find all the PQ 2228

Find all the PQ 2228 A3

Find PQ 2228 A3 1950

 

Screenshot of a book record in O M N I, with information including title, author, and call number.