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FYS 1028: The Other in World Literature, Art, & Cinema

Resources and information relevant to the topics discussed in FYS 1028.

Find Books & More

Reading Call Numbers

Library of Congress Call Numbers

Most of the books and media materials at the Courtright Memorial Library are organized by Library of Congress call numbers. Here's an example:

GN
197
.J34
2013

The initial letters and the number that immediately follows these letters indicate the subject. The letters should be read alphabetically. The first number, directly beneath the letters, should be read as a whole number. Letters in subsequent lines should be read alphabetically, but the numbers in all subsequent lines should be read as decimal numbers rather than as whole numbers. Thus, an item with the call number GN 197 .J332 2013 would be shelved before GN 197 .J34 2013.

If the word "Folio" appears at the top of the call number, it indicates that the item is oversized and is shelved in a special section for oversized books, which is located at the far west end of the third floor of the library. If the word "Score" appears above a call number, it indicates that the item is a musical score. It can be found in the music collection in the library lower level.

Dewey Decimal Call Numbers

Dewy Decimal call numbers are used for children's books and for elementary and secondary curriculum materials. Here's an example of a call number for a juvenile non-fiction book:

Juvenile
323.092
K585i

The number to the left of the decimal point should be read as a whole number, while the number to the right should be read as a decimal. The letters in the second line should be read alphabetically, but the numbers in the second line should be read as decimal numbers, rather than as whole numbers.

Call numbers for juvenile fiction books are all similar to this example:

Juvenile
  JF
C674u

"JF" stands for "Juvenile Fiction." The letters in the line below that should be read alphabetically, while the numbers should be read as decimals.

Book Searching

The OPAL (Ohio Private Academic Libraries) catalog is used at Otterbein. From the Otterbein library main webpage, look for "Find Books and More," and then choose "Search Our Catalog." Enter your keywords or switch to the author, title, or subject search via the drop-down menu. You can go directly to "Search Our Catalog" from this page by using the link below.

If you don't find enough books in Otterbein's library catalog, you can search the OhioLINK catalog (which includes materials from over 89 Ohio academic and public libraries). Books from other OhioLINK member libraries can be requested directly from the link which appears on the screen in the OhioLINK catalog. They will be delivered to Otterbein via a courier service and will be placed on the "Hold" shelf at the Otterbein library circulation desk for you to pick up.

Reference Books

Reference Databases