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Book collections
You will find a mixture of textbooks, research monographs and reference books in all of the individual libraries of the University Library. In appropriate libraries there will also be English and foreign literature.
Books on the open shelves are normally arranged by subject classmark. Classmarks are displayed on the shelves and the spines of books, and are normally a combination of letters and/or numbers. Browsing the shelves will miss many of the best books which are on loan or in use in the Library, in separate sequences (for example, oversize, reference or Short Loan Collection), on order, or waiting to be re-shelved.
Most books are available for loan - confined and reference books being exceptions - though the loan period will vary according to the library and the level of demand for the particular title. When you find a book on the online Catalogue the loan period will be indicated.
Please note: There are a growing number of electronic books that you can access. See the eBooks page for details of eBooks which are not yet in the Library Catalogue.
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How to locate a particular book
- To locate a particular book in the Library you should use the Library Catalogue (also available on the Quick search > Books, etc option of the Library home page)
- If you know the author's surname and the first key word of the title, this is often the quickest method of finding it using the ‘Basic Search’ 'Find in all fields' search. Help and search tips are available on the Library Catalogue.
- Look through the list of titles that displays on the Results List screen and click on the library name to take you to the Holdings screen for the book you are looking for. Alternatively, click on the underlined record number to display the Full View of Record page for the book. The Holdings screen will give details of numbers of copies, their loan periods, whether they are on loan, and location (which library and, normally, the classmark where they are shelved). Click on 'Reserve' next to an item to reserve it if it is on loan, or 'Booking' to book a short loan item.
- If you do not find the book on the online Library Catalogue try the Card Catalogue Online for some pre-1978 books, the eBooks page for online access to additional eBooks, or ask library staff.
- Books not held in print in the University's libraries or available online may be requested through the Inter-Library Loan service.
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How to find books on a subject
To find what books are available on a subject in the library system you could try any of the following:
- 'Basic Search' on the Library Catalogue (also available on the Quick search > Books, etc option of the Library home page) with 'Find in all fields' will often give good results if you search for a number of keywords for your topic. To make your search more specific there is a 'Subject contains' option in the 'Field to search' drop-down. Help and search tips are available on the Library Catalogue.
- Alternatively, if you know the classmark of a useful book on the subject you could use the Classmark or Shelflist options in the 'Basic Search' 'Field to search' drop-down.
- Browse the bookshelves at a particular classmark.
- Consult the Card Catalogue Online for some pre-1978 books which are not yet on the online Library Catalogue.
- Check the eBooks page for additional eBooks available to us online.
To find details of the books published on a subject, you may need to use databases and bibliographies. Catalogues of other libraries, including the British Library, can be accessed via the MetaLib category: Libraries & archives. To find what books are in print on a subject, try MetaLib category: Online bookshops.
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Confined books
Certain categories of material are confined and are for use in the Library only. Depending on the library these may include new books on display, reference books, theses, items from special collections, recent issues of journals (a number of our libraries confine all journals), examination papers, some duplicate copies of books marked with a red label, and some heavily used textbooks, usually clearly identified. For details of a library go to the Your libraries option.
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New books
In most of our libraries, though not in the Arts and Social Sciences Library, new books are regularly displayed for a certain length of time during which they may be reserved but not borrowed. The location of the display varies depending on the library.
- Details of New Books and eBooks can be viewed by subject or for an individual library.
- Reservations are made on the Library Catalogue. You will need your University of Bristol username and password.
- Suggestions for purchase of new books should normally be made through your subject contact in the library or academic library representative. Alternatively, you can use an online request form accessed via our How to submit a book purchase recommendation page, which explains the information required and special procedures for recommending the purchase of expensive items (over £600) and journals.
- Internet bookshops and publishers can be accessed from MetaLib.
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