Italian, Continuing and Intermediate: A Library Guide: Find Books

Pay attention to the call numbers and note whether the material is shelved in the regular, oversized (+), or double oversized (++) sections in Olin or Uris.

Finding Books in Olin Library photoset

1. Books are shelved in alphabetical order based on the letters in the first line of the call number. For example, the P call numbers are followed by the PA call numbers, followed by PB, etc.
2. Within the PA call numbers, books are arranged in numerical order, from low to high.
3. The next lines of the call number contain a letter and a number, but they are read as decimals, not whole numbers. Example: A55 is read as A .55. This is why A55 comes before A6 (A .55, A .6, A .65).

If a book you need is checked out or not available at a campus Library, you may request a copy from another Ivy League or peer institution library through Borrow Direct. Look for the Request button in the catalog records for books we have but are checked out:

The Request button will usually direct you to the Borrow Direct system. Log in, find the listing for the book you need, and if a copy is available it will be delivered to the campus library you select in 3-5 days. Loans are for 8 weeks, with the option to renew for another 8 weeks.

If the item isn't available via Borrow Direct, it will be requested via Interlibrary Loan.

ALLA RICERCA DEI LIBRI IN ITALIANO

The Cornell University Library Catalog includes the holdings of all Ithaca campus libraries. (The Medical College Library, located in New York City, has a separate catalog.) The catalog contains records for books, computer files, government documents, manuscripts and archives,maps, musical scores, periodicals, serials, sound recordings, and visual materials. Connect to the Cornell University Library Catalog.

The Cornell University Library uses Library of Congress Subject Headings as the standard for subject searching. Unlike searching by keyword, where any term or wording of a topic can be entered into the computer, subject searching requires you to use the exact wording of an official Library of Congress subject heading in order to retrieve search results. The example below illustrates a subject heading search for material on Italian film. The Subject field should be selected from the pulldown menu to the right of the search box:

Some useful Library of Congress Subject Headings for this class are:

ITALY--ECONOMIC CONDITIONS
ITALY--ECONOMIC POLICY
ITALY--HISTORY
ITALY--PERIODICALS
ITALY--POPULATION
ITALY--SOCIAL CONDITIONS
ITALY--SOCIAL LIFE AND CUSTOMS ART,ITALY
ITALIAN LANGUAGE
ITALIAN LITERATURE
ITALIAN DRAMA
ITALIAN WIT AND HUMOR
FOLK LITERATURE, ITALIAN
MOTION PICTURES--ITALY

Example of Keyword Searches:

Italy and (women or gender)
Italy and environment?
Italy and "health care"

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Cercare Materiale Audiovisivo

The catalog is also used to find videos, films and music available in the Cornell University Library.  The format listing in the Limit Your Search column on the left part of the screen contains Video category. Clicking on Video displays the items in that format. Clicking on Non-musical Recordings format limit would display the 3 spoken word titles. There is also a Language limit option, which sorts search results by language and allows you to see just material in the language you select.

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