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Library Resources for the First Year Student: Books

WPI Library Search

Search WPI LIBRARY SEARCH for books, articles, media and more!

 

Find Books

To find books, type your keywords into WPI Library Search, click on Resource Type on the left, and then select the Books filter:

Screenshot of WPI Library Search with arrows pointing to "Resource Type" and "Books."

Find Print Books in the Library

Looking for a print book in the library? The Gordon Library organizes books using the LC (Library of Congress) Classification System. Each book has a call number printed on its spine, and books are organized according to these call numbers. Call numbers beginning with the letters A - N are on the 3rd floor of the library and call numbers beginning with the letters P - Z are on the 1st floor of the library.

In the LC system, a call number is assigned based on the subject of the book. This means that books about the same subject are shelved near each other, making it easy to browse the shelves to find related books.

Anatomy of a Call Number: 

 Call number 'LB 2395 .C65 1991' on the spine of a book and in the online catalog

The first two lines describe the subject of the book.

The third line represents the author's last name.

The last line represents the date of publication.

WorldCat: Find items in libraries near you

WorldCat.org allows you to search library catalogs around the world. 

ILLiad: Borrowing from other Libraries

Did you find a book that we don't have at WPI? Don't worry! Our Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service allows WPI students and faculty to request items from other libraries free of charge. In addition to books, you can use ILL to request journal articles, patents, theses, DVDs, and more.