Finding Books in Soil Science

There are two ways to finds books in libraries--browsing the physical or virtual "shelf" in a library or searching in a library catalog. In the sciences these books may be either "primary" publications--conference proceedings, technical reports, theses, and dissertations--or "secondary" publications--textbooks, treatises, handbooks and similar publications derived from the "primary" literature. This research guide offers suggestions for both browsing and searching.

Library of Congress Classification System

Using the Library of Congress Classification System books in the general collection and most special collections in the HSU Library are assigned a specific call number which physically arranges them on the shelf by subject. In addition ebooks are assigned these same call numbers. Most academic libraries in the United States use this classification system.

For a general overview of the entire classification system see Library of Congress Classification Outline (Library of Congress). Listed below are the major classification areas where soil science books are likely to be found. You can browse the physical and virtual shelves for print and ebooks in the HSU Library using the call number search option in the HSU Library Catalog.

HSU Library Catalog

The HSU Library Catalog lists most works in the HSU Library with the exception of governemnt documents prior to 1998. It can be searched by author, title or subject. For guidance in searching by subject see the following research guides:

• Library of Congress Subject Headings -- for general tips on finding and selecting subject headings
• Scientific Subject Headings -- for biological and earth science subjects

Other Library Catalogs

"Union" catalogs and library catalogs connected with universities, govenment agencies and other institutions can be used to identify books held in libraries around the world. The Library's Interlibrary Loan Service can be used to borrow most books found in other libraries. See Other Library Catalogs for recommended catalogs, including the WorldCat union catalog.

Following are some specific library catalogs that include soil science books:

• FAO Catalogue (Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) Includes all documents and publications produced by FAO since 1945 and books to the FAO Library since 1976. Provides links to fulltext when available.
• National Agricultural Library (U.S Department of Agriculture)