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English Literature & Criticism

How to search for print books in our library

  1. Use the search box on this page or go to the library catalog in Primo and input your search terms.

  2. On the search results page, go to the filters in the column on the right. Under the "Material type" section, click "Books."

    Screenshot of the section of the library catalog described above with a superimposed red arrow pointing to "books."

  3. Now go to the "Show only" section in the same filter column on the right. Click the check box to the left of "Available in the Library." Then click the "Apply Filters" button at the bottom of the screen.

    Screenshot of library catalog filters with an arrow pointing to "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.

    Screenshot of an entry in the catalog with "Available at..." with the physical location underneath the title, author, and publisher information. A superimposed red arrow points to the floor it's located on and the call number.

  5. Before coming to the library, check our hours and make sure you have your UMass Pass to check out the book!

Browsing the Stacks for Literature & Criticism

A lithograph print by Louise Bourgeois of a person sitting at a table reading. There's a window in the background as well as a hallway and doors.

Louise Bourgeois, Man Reading, 1940-1944, lithograph, 11 5/8 x 16 1/16", Museum of Modern Art, New York, https://www.moma.org/collection/works/62270?locale=en.

Our library uses the Library of Congress Call Number Classification System to organize our books. 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 Literature and what they mean.

3rd Floor:

  • PN - Literature (General)
  • PN 59-72 - Study and teaching
  • PN 80-99 - Criticism
  • PN 441-1009.5 - Literary history
  • PN 1010-1525 - Poetry
  • PN 1600-3307 - Drama
  • PN 6010-6790 - Collections of general literature
  • PN 6700-6790 - Comic books, strips, etc.
  • PR - English literature
  • PR 1-56 - Literary history and criticism
  • PR 57-78 - Criticism
  • PR 500-614 - Poetry
  • PR 621-744 - Drama
  • PR 750-890 - Prose
  • PR 951-981 - Folk literature
  • PR 1098-1369 - Collections of English literature
  • PS - American literature
  • PS 301-326 - Poetry
  • PS 330-353 - Drama
  • PS 360-380 - Prose
  • PS 501-689 - Collections of American literature
  • PS 700-3576 - Individual authors

See a more thorough explanation of the Literature call numbers (including literature from different countries!).

Health Sciences and Engineering Librarian

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Kari Mofford
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Contact:
Claire T. Carney Library
Room 238
285 Old Westport Road
Dartmouth, MA 02747

kmofford@umassd.edu
508-999-8865