Media Studies

Library Search is a great starting place for your research. It's the main search field in the middle of the Library homepage. You can use this to search The Claremont Colleges Library collections, other campus collections and libraries worldwide.

Use Library Search to find print books, eBooks, articles, newspaper resources, tangible media (CDs/DVDs), streaming media, objects available in tech lending, special collections holdings and more!

If an item shows as "Held by Other Libraries" you may request the item through resource sharing by clicking on the "Get This Item" button. 

What exactly is a call number anyway?
A call number is the unique number given to each book in the library. Call numbers are like addresses, they tell you where a book will be located in the library.

Why should I know how to read one?
If you understand how to read a call number, it will be a lot easier for you to find books in the library.

What does a call number look like?
This library uses LC call numbers (LC stands for Library of Congress), which use a combination of letters and numbers. The same exact call number can be written 2 dfferent ways:

A call number that you find in the Library Search (the online library catalog) will look like this:
CT105 .I55 1981

And that same call number will look like this on the spine of the book:
CT
105
.I55
1981
 
So, here's how you read a call number on the spine of a book:
CT       --Read it alphabetically (A, B, C, CT, D, E, F, G, H, HA, HQ, etc.)
105     --Read it numerically (1, 10, 100, 100.5, 105, 1005.10, etc.)
.I55     -- Read alphabetically and then decimally (.A23, .A233, .A33, .B4555, .B50, etc.)
1981    --The final line is a date.
 

And here is how this book would be placed on the shelf:

 
So now that I know how to read a call number, how do I use it to find books in the library?
1. When you find a book that looks interesting in the Library Search, make sure you write down the entire call number.

2. Check the location to find out where in the library building (or which library) the book will be in (Honnold/Mudd, Denison, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden).

3. Look at the first letter(s) of the call number. Use this to figure out what part of the library to go to. Once you are on the correct floor, look for labels at the end of each set of bookshelves. These will tell you what call numbers can be found on those shelves.

4. Find the book on the shelf and take it to the desk or the self-check machine to check it out.
 

View complete list of databases relevant to media studies: