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.
1. Use the search box within the "Search our catalog" box on this page to input your keywords.
2. Look to the column on the right under the "Material type" section and click "Books."
3. Now look to the right column again under "Show only." Click "Available in the Library."
4. See a title that looks interesting? The information you need to find it in-person is right there in the list of results. The entry itself often has other information to help you determine if it's useful, so click on the title if you want to know more about it first.
5. Before coming to the library, check our hours and make sure you have your UMass Pass to check out the book!
Attributed to Neri da Rimini, Leaf from an Antiphonary, 1300-1325, tempera, ink, and gold on parchment,
20 5/16 x 14 15/16" (51.6 x 38 cm), Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/leaf-from-an-antiphonary-53389.
Our library uses Library of Congress Classification to organize our books by call number. If you know a little bit about what the call numbers stand for, you can browse the stacks more efficiently.
Here are some relevant call numbers for Music Education students and what they represent.
3rd Floor
M - Music
ML - Literature on music
MT - Instruction and study
MT 9-15 - Printed pedagogical aids
MT 17 - Music in special education
MT 18 - Music in colleges and universities
MT 20-34 - Systems and methods
MT 35-39 - Notation
MT 85 - Conducting
MT 88 - Administration and instruction of vocal groups
MT 155 - Music theory for children
MT 170-810 - Instrumental techniques
MT 820-915 - Singing and vocal technique
MT 918-948 - School music
MT 955-956 - Musical theater
Click here to see a more thorough explanation of the Music call numbers.
5th Floor
L - Education (General)
LA - History of Education
LB - Theory and Practice of Education
LC - Special Aspects of Education
LD - Individual Institutions - United States
LE - Individual Institutions - America (except United States)
LF - Individual Institutions - Europe
LG - Individual Institutions - Asia, Africa, Indian Ocean islands, Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands
LH - College and School Magazines and Papers
LG - Student Fraternities and Societies, United States
LT - Textbooks
Click here to see a more thorough explanation of the Education call numbers.
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.
Read the second line in numerical order.
The third line is tricky. Read the letter in alphabetical order then the number as a decimal.
Sometimes the fourth line will look like this and you read it exactly like the other line.
When you see a line near the bottom that looks like a year, it is a year! This goes in numerical order.
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!