Finding Geography Call Numbers and Journals

Table of Contents

Subject Headings Are the Key
Using Subject Headings to Find Call Numbers and Letters
Using Subject Headings to Find Journals in a Field

Subject Headings Are the Key

1. Subject headings are what you need to use to find geography call numbers and journals. When a book or journal is added to the Libraries' online catalog, it is assigned several labels that describe its subject matter. The subject headings are assigned so library users can find the book or journal again, even if they don't know its author or title. You can find the subject headings of a book in the UNT Library Catalog at http://iii.library.unt.edu/.
   Try this: Do a Title search for the book, Atlas of Travel and Tourism Development. Click on the title link to go to the book's record in the catalog. Look down the screen past the title and location to find the three subject headings. What are they?
2. Subject headings often have subheadings to make a more precise description of books. Often the subheadings refer to geographic locations, e.g. Geography Africa.
   Try this: Do a Subject search for Ecology in the catalog. Scroll down the list of subject headings and look for geographic subheadings. What are the first three different geographic subheadings you see?

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Using Subject Headings to Find Call Numbers and Letters

Library of Congress call numbers organize books into sections that have the same subject. They start with letters, which indicate the broad subject area, and continue with numbers and more letters, which indicate smaller divisions within the broad subject, the author and date. For instance, all call numbers in the area of Psychology start with BF, and BF 311 is the area where many cognitive psychology books are found.

Try this: Do a Subject search for Ecology and select the Ecology link. Browse through the title list and see what the most common starting letters in the call numbers are.

Note: Call numbers with different starting letters may be in different buildings! For example, GB books are in the Willis Library and QH books are in the Eagle Commons Library. Check the location so you don't end up in the wrong building on a rainy day!!

Try this: Now do a Subject search for Ecology California and select the link. Look at the call numbers for three books, particularly at the numbers and letters following QH. Two of the three entries share which numbers and letters?

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Using Subject Headings to Find Journals in a Field

1. Periodicals (libraryese for journals and magazines) is a subheading used in Library of Congress subject headings. Combine "periodicals" with subject headings to find the journals in a field or subfield.
   Try this: Do a subject search for Ecology Periodicals. Click on the Ecology Periodicals link and you get a long list of journals. What are two of the titles?
2. To find journals in a related field or subfield, do a Subject search for a broad subject and at the top of the subject heading list, click on Related Subjects. Then choose a related subject and look for the Periodicals subheading
   Try this: Do a subject search for Ecology and select the Ecology link. Click on Related Subjects and then click on Aquatic Ecology. Now find the Periodicals subheading. What are three journals in the subfield of aquatic ecology?

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