The University Library is home to a wide range of physical resources including books, journals, DVDs, audiobooks, reports, theses, maps, resource packs and even puppets! Although most resources are readily accessible on open shelves some are kept in closed-access stores or behind the Service Desk.
Our standard loan period is 3 weeks. Books with '7 day loan' stickers on the spine may only be borrowed for a week at a time. Books labelled reference only may not be borrowed. Most of the children's resources in the Teaching Resources Collection may be borrowed for 12 weeks at a time.
Books are arranged on the shelves by subject using a numerical classification scheme called Dewey Decimal Classification (or just 'Dewey')*. Stickers on the spine of each book display the Dewey shelfmark, followed by the first three letters of the author's surname (also known as the 'suffix'). Books are arranged on the shelves firstly in Dewey order and then in author order. Books with no suffix (e.g. with no named author) are shelved together at the start of each shelfmark.
Click here for a summary of the Dewey scheme produced by OCLC Inc. (the organisation responsible for its publication); pages 1-5 introduce the scheme and the summaries start on page 6. Use Ctrl-F on your keyboard to search for subjects.
In our Library there are signs on each shelving bay indicating the range of shelfmarks on each bay, as well as individual subject guidance.
*Except for items in our Lincolnshire Collection, which are classified using a system called Bliss Classification.
All images ©Bishop Grosseteste University.