Book Locations

Finding Books

How to Find Books on Shelves in Bizzell

Books that are physically available in Bizzell Memorial Library are located on shelves in the stacks on various floors. You can find book location information and call numbers in the Discover search results listed below the title, author, and publication information.

Books are organized using one of the following classification systems:

Library of Congress: call number begins with a letter
Dewey Decimal System: call number begins with a number

To determine what floor a book is located on, refer to the tables below. Scroll further down the page for information on how to read call numbers.

Bizzell Memorial Library Stacks

Library of Congress Classification

Call Numbers	Bizzell Floor Location
A - D	LL1 East
E - G	Main
H	2 East
J - PN	3 West
PQ - QA	3 East
QB - R	4 West
S - Z	4 East

Dewey Decimal Classification

Call Numers	Bizzell Floor Locations
001 - 506 ac12c	Deck 4
506 ac12c - 999	Deck 5
Biographies	Deck 5

Separate Collections in Bizzell

Collection	Bizzell Floor Location
Abstracts and Indexes	Main
Atlases	Main
Bass Business History Collection	5
Children's Collection	3 West
Chinese Literature Translation Archive	4 West
Current Periodicals	4 West
History of Science	5
Microform	4 East
New Books	Zarrow Reading Room - Main
Nichols Collection	5
OU Theses and Dissertations	Peggy V. Helmerich Great Reading Room - Deck 4
Reference	Main
Yearbooks	North of Exhibit area - Main

How to Find Electronic Books Online

University of Oklahoma faculty, students, and staff have access to a wide range of e-books through OU Libraries. If you know the title of the book you're looking for, you can use Discover to search for that title through the libraries' homepage or on our E-Books Guide.

There are many sites online that host e-books for public access. Here are a few that may be useful:

Google Books
HathiTrust Digital Library
Project Gutenberg
Internet Archive
The Pioneer Library System offers e-books and other electronic materials through Libby.

Reading Call Numbers

How to Read Library of Congress Call Numbers

Books in the Bizzell Memorial Library will have a call number sticker on the spine or front cover.

First, look at the top line. In the Library of Congress system, the first line will be 1-3 letters long. Items are shelved in alphabetical order by these letters.
Next, look at the second line. This line will contain a whole number or a whole number with a decimal component. Items with the same first line are shelved numerically by this line. Sometimes, Line 1 and Line 2 will both appear on the same line.
Next, the third part consists of a single letter and then a sequence of numbers. Items are shelved alphabetically and then numerically based on this line. This line is always read as if it were preceded by a decimal.
The final lines of a call number may include the date of publication, volume number, issue number, or other annotation.

Additional Tips:

Each bookshelf in the stacks will have signs indicating its contents.
Look for student workers wearing blue lanyards roving around Bizzell to get immediate assistance.

How to Read Dewey Decimal Call Numbers

Books in the Bizzell Memorial Library will have a call number sticker on the spine or front cover.

The first line of a Dewey Decimal Call number will be a whole number, potentially with a decimal component. Items are shelved numerically.
The second line will be a letter and a sequence of numbers. This line is always treated as if it were preceded by a decimal.
The third line may be another letter followed by a sequence of numbers, the date of publication, volume number, issue number, or other annotation.

Additional Tips:

Access to the Decks are available on Lower Level I, Main Floor, and 3rd Floor. Elevator access is available behind the Zarrow Lounge on the Main Floor.
Each bookshelf in the stacks will have signs indicating their contents.
Look for student workers wearing blue lanyards roving around Bizzell to get immediate assistance.