Academic Library Resources & Organization

Resources in General - The following types of resources can be found in the Shadek-Fackenthal Library and Martin Library of the Sciences:

Archives, Books, Computers, Copiers, Journals, Librarians, Library Assistants, Magazines, Manuscripts, Maps, Microfilm, Microfiche, Newspapers, Photographs, Posters, Printers, Prints, Rare Books, etc.

Please Note: Using your F&M ID, students can borrow up to 50 books at a time, each for a 28 day period. Details regarding full borrowing and access policies can be found here. To renew books online, log into My Account. You can also request renewal by phone - simply call 717-291-4223. Fines for overdue books are $0.25 per day, per book.

Reference Resources - The following types of print resources can be found in the Reference Area on Level 1 of both campus libraries:

Almanacs, Atlases, Bibliographies, Biographies, Chronologies, Concordances, Dictionaries, Directories, Gazetteers, Guides, Handbooks, Laws, Quotations, Statistics, etc.

Reference or secondary sources are informational resources written by individuals who were not the actual participants in the topic at hand. They may be of value to your research since they often provide greater objectivity and different perspectives as a result of the passage of time.

Please Note: Reference books do not circulate like regular books from the general stacks. However, reference book call numbers do mirror those of books in the general stacks. Example: Reference books on History: America - United States can be found in the same call number range as those in the stacks, E151-E889.

Organization of Library Resources - Most academic library resources are organized using the Library of Congress Classification System, and assigned an LC Call Number

Library of Congress Call Numbers consist of a combination of letters and numbers, and are arranged in an alphabetical, numerical, and chronological sequence. Always read a book's spine label call number from left to right, top to bottom.

Please Note: All examples are given in accurate shelf order.

The first letter (or combination of letters) are listed in alphabetical order and represent one of the 21 major subject divisions of the LC Classification System.	H45 .B62 1990	HA126 .F99 1987	HB12 .I90 1975	HC13 .C55 1952
The following set of attached numbers are listed in order and help to define a book's subject within the major division.	B45 .H432 1980	B467 .K77 1967	B1200 .P95 A66 1990	B1231 .C33 I7 1981
The next grouping of letters and numbers often represent a coded representation of the author or title of the work, commonly referred to as the Cutter Number.	KF456 .A43 1993	L901 .C26 1993	L901 .C263 1988	L901 .C27 1976
A publication date often follows in chronological order.	B1200 .P95 A65 1990	B1200 .P95 A651 1974	B1200 .P95 A66 1990	B1200 .P95 A66 1992

Call Number Locations and Library Maps

Once you have obtained a call number from the Library Catalog, please use the Call Numbers & Maps guide to locate your book in either Shadek-Fackenthal Library or Martin Library of the Sciences.

Glossary of Library Terms

For a better understanding of library resources and terms, please consult the Glossary of Library Terms located on the library web site.