Black Studies

Here's a quick guide on how to read call numbers in our library (and most other academic libraries).

The first line is read in alphabetical order.

• ex. This would be before the PQ's but after the PM's.

Read the second line in numerical order.

• ex. This would be after PN 6746 and before PN 6747.1 or PN 6748.

The third line is tricky. Read the letter in alphabetical order then the number as a decimal.

• ex. PN 6747 .S245 would come before PN 6747 .S5, because .5 in decimal is really .500!

Sometimes the fourth line will look like this and you read it exactly like the other line.

• ex. PN 6747 .S245 P4713 would come before PN 6747 .S245 P8, because .8 in decimal is really .800!

When you see a line near the bottom that looks like a year, it is a year! This goes in numerical order.

• ex. If there was a book just like this except the date was 2003, it would go before the 2007 edition.

You could think of a call number like a detailed address in reverse: planet, country, state, city, street, street number. Each line helps you narrow down the book's exact location!

Use the search box below to run a quick search for books, or use the advanced search page to limit your material type to books prior to searching. 

The library has access to eBooks across disciplines. To locate eBooks in the catalog, follow the steps outlined below. If you are off-campus, you will be prompted to log in with your myUmassD information to access library resources.

The quickest way to locate eBooks using keyword searching is outlined in the following screenshots:

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If you're a fully online student, see the link below for information about how to get home delivery of books from our collection.