Browsing in the Library for Public Affairs Materials
Send comments and questions to Mary Beth Minick, SPEA Subject Librarian
Go to the School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA)
Lest we forget, the library does still have books…enjoy a stroll through your favorite section!
How to find a book of interest to you…The first stop on your search for books in the IUPUI library system is IUCAT, the Indiana University online catalog. Find IUCAT on the library home page. The link is on the left side of the page, the first entry under “Research Tools & Help.” Once you have entered IUCAT, you can search by title, author, subject, and other criteria. If you need assistance the “help” tab at the bottom of the page offers links to online instruction, or you can contact the reference desk at the library (by phone, email or instant message).
How to locate a book by call number in the library…
Once you have identified a book of interest to you, you will have to find it on the shelves (or “stacks,” to use some library jargon). In most cases you will have to find the book by using an identifying number (or “call number,” to indulge in another bit of jargon). Remember that academic libraries like those at IUPUI use the Library of Congress system of classification. This means that books are classified by a number consisting first of one or two letters, followed by a group of numbers and/or letters. The letters at the beginning give you a rough idea of where the books will be: they are shelved alphabetically. In the IUPUI University Library, letters A through N are shelved on the third floor, while letters P through Z are kept on the fourth floor (there is no O).
Good general browsing sections for books (and older journals) on Public Affairs
The following sections will contain many materials in Public Affairs and related areas:
· J General Legislative and Executive Papers
· JC Political Theory, Theory of the State
· JF Political Institutions and Public Administration
· JK Political Institutions and Public Administration: United States
· JL Political Institutions and Public Administration: America Outside the U.S.
· JS Local Government
Also, note that public policy documents will be found shelved under the topic of interest, not in public policy areas.
