How to Find a Book

Find a Book at the UHSP Library!

We will always start from the Library webpage.

1. On the library homepage, select Books from the tabbed search box.

2. Enter your search term/s in the box and click the Search button.

3. A new page will open and you should see a list of items that match your search.
   
   If the keyword search didn't bring back what you were looking for, you can modify your search terms or click the down arrow in the keyword drop-down to search by...

   • Title: Search for items with your term in the title

   • Author: Search for items by a specific author

   • Subject: Search for items that have your term assigned as one of the subjects (main focus)

4.  Next to each item, you will see the following information:

   • Item Type: Monograph (aka Book), Journal, DVD...

   • Title: The title of the item

   • Author: Name of the author/s (last name, first name)

   • Year of Publication: The date the item was published

   • Status: Availability of the item

5. Click on the underlined title to view more information about the book, including:

   • Status: Availability of the item

   • Location: Where the item is located in the library

   • Call Number: The alphanumeric number on the book spine or front cover, used to find where the book is shelved

Not finding the right book?

You can always search MOBIUS. See the MOBIUS page for help. 

MOBIUS is a large consortium of academic libraries in Missouri and surrounding states, plus several large public libraries. MOBIUS libraries share books with other member libraries for free. If a book you want to borrow is at the UMSL Library, they will send it to us free of charge. 

Please note that licensing agreements do not allow libraries to loan ebooks; MOBIUS can only be used for print materials.

Where is the book?

To find a book, you need the status, location, and call number.

Status

 This tells you if the book is available, checked out, or not available.

• Available: The book is on the shelf and can be checked out.

• A Date: The book is currently checked out. Use the Place a Hold button to request the book. 

• Missing/ Billed: The book is not on the shelf at UHSP, but may be available through MOBIUS.

Location

This tells you what section of the library the book is shelved in. See the map below for help finding each location, or ask for help at the Library Service Desk. 

• Popular locations: General Collection, Leusire Reading, Library Service Desk

Call Number

A call number is the location, or shelf address, for a book in the library.

Call numbers are part of the classification systems libraries use to organize books. We use the Library of Congress Classification (LC) system.

To see how books are shelved, look at the example on the right. 

Finding the right row

Each range of shelves has a sign on the end with the beginning and ending range of call numbers shelved in that range.

Using the example at the top of this page, we know that the book Plague: A Very Short Introduction is located in the General Collection, and the call number is RA 644 .P7 S653 2012.

Looking at the call numbers at the end of each range, we can find the book Plague: A Very Short Introduction in the RA 409 - RA 777 row. 

Finding the right shelf

From there, we can look down the range of shelves for the correct call number. Each shelving range has multiple columns with books shelved in call number order. When looking at a column, start at the top shelf, then work your way down--as pictured in the image to your right.  When you are at the bottom of a column, the next call number will be at the top of the column to your right.

If you get to a shelf and see the call number is too high, you have gone too far and must look back to the left to find the call number. 

Check it out

Take the book to the staff at the Library Services Desk. 

To check out the book, all you need is your UHSP ID or your UHSP student ID number. 

Check out length = 4 weeks

Renew it

Books can be renewed through your library account or at the Library Services Desk. Two renewals are possible--unless there is a hold on the item.  

While the Library Services Desk is open, please return all items to the staff at the Library Services Desk.

When the Library Services Desk is closed, please place items in the Library Return Box--located down the hallway to the right of the Library Services Desk.