Understanding the Library Catalogue

The Library Catalogue lists all books, periodicals, reports, theses, audiovisual and electronic material held at all of the University of Dundee Library sites. Thus, when you search for an item, by checking the Due date you will see straight away how many copies there are in the University Collection, where each is kept, and whether each is currently on the shelf or out on loan.

You can access the catalogue either:

at any of the PCs in any of the University of Dundee libraries
through the Library catalogue

Searching the catalogue - some hints

Remember the computer can only find exact character matches. Make sure your spelling is correct.
Try different combinations of search terms, and different types of search.
You can truncate words using a question mark. E.g. comput? for computers, computing, compute etc.
Check the Copy Status to make sure the item is In before you look for it, and double-check the location.
Make a note of the whole class mark, including any letters before and after the number.
Double-check that what you have found is what you wanted - the newest edition? the Short Loan copy?

If the item is out on loan, you can place a Hold on it. Also, if it is housed far away at another DU libary site, you can arrange for it to be brought to you. For more information, see membership information.

How do I check and renew my books online?

Click on the Library Catalogue link under Search your library
Sign in from menu bar at top of screen using your Library barcode (on reverse of ID card) and password
Then go to My Library Card
Select Loans and follow the instructions to renew

Also, you will not be allowed to keep an item if:

it has been requested by another reader
it is a restricted loan item (e.g. 1, 5 or 7 day loan), or other readers are waiting for it
you owe money for overdue or lost books
the library has put a block on your record for some other reason

Your nearest library will be able to give you more information.

Dewey numbers

Generally, University of Dundee Libraries organise their material using the Dewey Decimal Classification system, which organises scholarly information into main disciplines, and assigns these a number.

000	General areas - dictionaries, encyclopaediae, IT applications
100	Philosophy & Psychology
200	Religion
300	Social Sciences
400	Language
500	Mathematics & Pure Science
600	Applied Science & Technology
700	Fine & Decorative Arts
800	Literature
900	Geography & History

These main fields are then divided and subdivided into their constituent branches. This means that books are shelved next to others in their subject area, and items on similar topics will be nearby. For example:

300	Social Sciences
	310	Statistics
	320	Politics
	330	Economics
		331	Labour
		332	Finance
		333	Land & Energy
			333.1	Public Ownership
			333.2	Private Organisations Ownership
			333.3	Individual Ownership

However, you will often find useful material shelved at other numbers. For example, books on land use in the UK will appear in the agriculture (630.942), history (942) and economics (333) sections.

Codes and abbreviations

Libraries & Departments

For more information about each site, see Library sites.

DoJ	Duncan of Jordanstone Faculty Library
FSNM	Fife School of Nursing & Midwifery, Kirkcaldy
Law	Law Library, Scrimgeour Building
MEMED	Centre for Medical Education, Tay Park House
ML	Main Library
Ninewells	Ninewells Library, Ninewells Hospital
Perth	Perth Royal Infirmary Library
Solum Store	Solum Store, Duncan of Jordanstone
Stracathro	Stracathro Hospital Library

The following abbreviations may appear by the classmark:

5 Day Loan	For loan for 5 days only*
1 Day Loan	For loan for 1 day only*
A, AF, AQ	Ninewells Library, Level 5
Audio ML	Shelved in a/v section on the second floor (Main Library)"
B, BF, BQ	Shelved in the Solum Store
CD-ROM ML	CD ROM. Shelved in a/v section on the second floor (Main Library)
DVD ML	Shelved in a/v section on the second floor (Main Library)"
F	Folio - books & pamphlets over 31cms tall. Shelved separately at most sites
H	Part of a special collection at Ninewells Medical Library
K Loc, K Loc F	Kinnear Local Collection - shelved in Archives. NOT FOR LOAN
Micro	Microfiche or microfilm. Stored on ground floor at Main Library
N, NF, NFF, NQ	Nicoll Collection - shelved in the Solum Store. NOT FOR LOAN
Pam, Pam D/F/Q	Pamphlets. Shelved in the Solum Store. For 4 week loan
Per	Periodical. Usually for reference only
Per A, Per B	Shelved in Solum Store. Reference only
Q	Quarto - material over 19cms tall. Shelved separately (Main Library only)
R	Reference only
S, SF, SQ	Precious or fragile items. Shelved in the Solum Store. NOT FOR LOAN
Short Loan	For loan for 4 hours/overnight only. University of Dundee students & staff only
Theses	University of Dundee thesis. Shelved in the Solum Store. Loan restrictions
U, UF, UQ	Main Library Rare Books. NOT FOR LOAN
Video	Video - Shelved in a/v section on the second floor (Main Library)"
" For the use of University of Dundee students & staff only

For information on items marked NOT FOR LOAN and on other rare and unusual items in the University Library, see Special Collections.