Using a Library Making good use of the college librar

The uses a student makes of his college library may be summarized under three broad headings: borrowing books, consulting reference materials and general study. In this lecture we shall examine various aspects of these activities with a view to help the student to use his library more easily and more efficiently.
  First of all, borrowing books. Let’s assume a student has been given the author and title of a certain book which he’s been told to read. He wants to borrow it from the library as it’ll take some time for him to finish it. As soon as he gets to the library he should check that the book is in stock, make sure that it’s available for lending, and find out where to locate it on the library shelves. In order to do this he’ll have to consult the catalogues. As he has the name of the author, it’ll be easiest to use the author, or name catalogue. This consists of a llst of books entered on cards in alphabetical order under the name of the author, institution, or editor by which the book ia best known. If you look at your handout you’ll see a sample card. While I’m talking about this, it might be helpful if you label it in the appropriate places. In this way you’ll familiarize yourself with the must important item in the whole business of using a library.
  In the center of the card, is written the author’s name--his surname always comes first, followed By his forename, also known as" Christian name". The forename is further distinguished from the surname either by punctuation, or by style of printing.
  The book’s number, that’s to say the number which identifies the book, occurs near the top left hand corner of the card. This number normally consists of two parts, each part being printed on a separate line. The first part, on the top line, is the class numbers, that’s to say it’ s the number which tells you in which subject area the book lies. The Dewey Decimal System divides all knowledge up into major subject areas. The sample card shows the class number as 375.33.
  Beneath this Dewey Decimal number you’ll see another number. The capital letter "0’ represents the first letter of the author’s surname. The following number is especially assigned to this particular name. The small letter which in some systems follows this number is the first letter of the title of the book. In cataloguing titles, the definite and indefinite articles are disregarded. Thus the letter here is" P". While the class number tells the student which general area in the library to go to in order to find the book, the author number will direct him to the exact shelf.
  With this information, and having found the book, the student can now fill in the appropriate voucher, or borrowing slip, and have the book date stamped on the inside page by the assistant. If the book is already out on loan, then it’s usually possible to reserve it, so that when it’s returned the student can be sure of getting it.
  That now completes what you need to know about borrowing a book, though before we move on to consulting reference material, we’ll just briefly examine the other details on the name card from the catalogue. Under the author’s name, the title of the book is printed, followed by the edition. There then appear the imprint details: these give details of publisher, Place and date of publication. Finally, under the imprint, you have the collation details. These give numbers of volumes, pages, illustrations and maps.
  But now let’s look at the second broad use a student may make of his library: consulting reference material. In addition to the lending section an academic library always has a reference section. Three important types of materials in this section are:
  1. Books which were planned and written to be referred to for pieces of information rather than to be read completely. Examples of such books include dictionaries, bibliographies and encyclopedias.
  2. Books which are valuable or difficult to replace. An example would be an old edition of a book, of which the library has only a single copy, which is nut-of-print, but which is referred to by a regular number of students each year.
  3. Professional journals or periodicals.
  A student who’s starting on a new and difficult topic often finds it valuable to consult an encyclopedia. This type of book is arranged alphabetically by subjects and it gives an overview of a topic, including definition, description, background and bibliographical references. The overview is usually clear, concise and authoritative. When the student is writing a dissertation he will need to consult a specialized bibliography. Very recent research, however, may not appear in a bibliography and the student should, therefore, always consult the relevant professional journals.
  On many occasions, however, the student does not come to the library to borrow a book, or even to consult a book from the shelves. He may well come to the library because it provides a suitable working environment, which is free of charge, spacious, well-lit and adequately heated. Moreover, he can, if he meets an unexpected problem in his work, consult one of the reference books or perhaps even a fellow student. He can also have a chat with his fellow-students in his breaks. The last point, of course is often an important one. Many students find their life lonely and demanding, and they welcome the possibility of social contact. Libraries, of course, have a "no-talking’ rule with the result that these discussions or informal chats normally take place in a neighboring coffee bar. Students can, if they’re not careful, make the library a social center rather than a study center. To prevent this, it’s wise to set daily targets as regards work. In this way, one can take any necessary breaks and still complete what has to be finished. It’s all a question of balance and of self-discipline. With a little common sense, study can be both efficient and pleasant.