Online Catalog (OPAC): A Guide to Use: Finding Materials Using Call Numbers

Books and other materials are organized on the shelves alphabetically by the letters of the call number, then numerically by the whole number, then decimally by everything following the first ".", and finally, by the date. So in the shelf of books to the left, PN1995.9 .H55 comes before PN1995.9 .H6 B48, which comes before PN1995.9 H6 C5. Sometimes the library has multiple copies of the same book. You can see in the example that the abbreviation "c.2" is used to indicate that the book is the second copy.

When looking for library materials by call number its best to know not just the full call number, but also the item's location and status. This information will help you to determine where the book is in the library and whether or not its available to be checked out. To the right are two guides that will help you understand where library materials are located within the library and what the status field means.

If you cannot make it to the library but would still like to browse the shelves, you can do so virtually by clicking either on the call number in any record, or by searching by call number in either the simple or advanced catalog searches. The results list will display a list of surrounding call numbers.

Pay attention to the item location in bold. The results are arranged strictly by call number, not by location. Therefore all Suffolk University locations will be retrieved when you browse by call number, including the Sawyer, Law, NESAD, and Madrid libraries, as well as the Moakley Archives. If you want to limit your browsing to a particular location, search the catalog by call number and limit the location to the specific library you would like to browse.

Click on a call number to do a virtual browse of the shelf.