Finding Books
Minerva
In order to locate a book in any of the University Libraries, you need to search the online catalog, Minerva. This is the electronic version of the traditional card catalog, and it can be accessed in any of the Libraries (usually near the reference area) or from outside the Libraries at any computer with a World Wide Web browser. The Web address is http://minerva.louisville.edu. You may now search in various ways, such as author, title, official subject heading, journal title, and keyword (examples). Searching by subject requires the use of an official subject heading. If you do not find your topic, check the Library of Congress (LC) or the National Library of Medicine (NLM) Subject Headings volumes for the correct term, try a keyword search, or ask a librarian.
What is Minerva?
Minerva is the online catalog (the electronic equivalent of the traditional card catalog) for the University of Louisville Libraries. In Roman mythology, Minerva is the goddess of wisdom and inventiveness.
Locations
Items in Minerva will have information to help you choose and locate materials. The end of each item record will list copies of the title at UofL, including the Location, Call Number, and Status (availability to be checked out). Always be sure to look carefully at the location. This will tell you in which library the book is located, as well as the specific location within that library. It will also tell you if the book is Non-Circulating, which means it cannot be checked out of the library. If the status of the book says "Not Checked Out", note the location and then use the call number to locate the book.
Call Numbers
The University Libraries use three major call number classification systems to arrange materials on the shelves: the Library of Congress (LC), the National Library of Medicine (NLM), and the Superintendent of Documents (SuDoc) systems.
- Library of Congress numbers are letter-number combinations that place books on the shelves in a general subject arrangement (see Library of Congress Subject Classifications). This system is used by all of the libraries, except the Kornhauser Health Sciences Library. Each library has its own shelving arrangement, but the Ekstrom Library is probably the most complex. When the location given for a book is "EKSTROM Stacks 3rd/4th Floors", it will be located on the south side of either the 3rd or 4th floor (to your left off the elevators). Books with call numbers beginning with A - N are on the 3rd floor, and those beginning with P - Z are on the 4th floor. When looking for books on the shelf by call number, read the call numbers line by line - first alphabetically, then numerically, then both.
- The NLM classification system is used only in the Kornhauser Health Sciences Library (See Library Descriptions). It is modeled after LC, and the call numbers look the same. NLM uses specific starting letters that LC does not. These range from QS to QZ and all Ws. Books in Kornhauser Library are located on the west side of the entrance level (2nd floor) of the library.
- SuDoc numbers are used to organize United States government publications. They are also letter-number combinations, but often use varied punctuation, e.g. J1.14/7:992. Government publications are classified by the governmental agency from which they originate, rather than by subject. These publications are primarily found on the second floor of Ekstrom Library and in the Law Library.
See also