LibGuides Global Boxes: Books & catalogs

UC Library Search is the University of California's unified discovery and borrowing system.

Access it directly or from the Library homepage to find most UC books, articles, media, archival collections, and more.

See the UC Library Search User Guide and ask for research help 24/7 for more information.

UC Library Search is the University of California’s unified discovery and borrowing system. 

Access it directly or from the Library's homepage to find most UC books, articles, media, archival collections, and more. 

You can also:

• Narrow your search results using filters (ex: peer review status, date, and language).
• Save and export records to email or citation management software.
• Save searches and create/enable alerts or RSS feeds for update notifications.
• Log in to view and manage your:
• Saved records, saved searches, and search history.
• Requested, borrowed, and Interlibrary Loan items.
• Messages, blocks, fines, and fees.

See the UC Library Search user guide and ask for research help 24/7 for more information.

HathiTrust (Hathi is pronounced hah-tee) is a partnership of libraries that works towards the goal of developing a shared digital access, preservation, and storage solution for the materials held in the member libraries. The contents of HathiTrust are similar to that of Google Books, but the collecting focus is on scholarly materials and the resource includes content and features (such as indexing and manipulation of results) not available in Google Books.

Downloading PDFs

Creating Collections

1. On the Collections page, click on login.
2. Choose the University of California, Berkeley from the drop down list and click on login.
3. Enter your CalNet ID and passphrase.
4. Click on Create a New Collection and name your collection (the description is optional).
5. Indicate whether it is a Private or Public collection.
6. Click on Add.

In the future if you want to edit, change the private/public setting, or delete the collection, your collections will always be listed in the My Collections tab whenever you are logged in to HathiTrust.

Why use Google Books? Library catalogs (like UC Library Search don't search inside books; using a library catalog, you can search only information about the book (title, author, Library of Congress subject headings, etc.).  Google Books will let you search inside books, which can be very useful for hard-to-find information.  You can then use Google Books' Find in a Library link to locate the book in a UC Berkeley library, or search UC Library Search to see if UC Berkeley owns the book. Try it now:

If the library location in UC Library Search says "Newspapers and Microforms" it is referring to the Newspapers and Microforms Collection, 40 Doe Library.

Check the hours of the unit before you go. The unit is not open on weekends, and microfilm cannot be checked out.

Be sure to bring a flash drive so you can save scanned copies of the microfilm to your disk. Scanning is free, but there is a charge for printing from the microfilm.  You must use your Cal1 card to pay for printing.

In the News/Micro collection, microfilm rolls and microfiche cards are shelved with their own numbering system; see a PDF of the collection's floorplan.

Don't hesitate to ask for help! The News/Micro staff are experts in the use of the machines.

UC Library Search includes books, articles and more.

• Books and eBooks from:
  • HathiTrust
  • Dozens of eBook databases
• Articles from journals, magazines and newspapers, including article content from:
  • Over forty EBSCOHost databases
  • JSTOR
  • Web of Science (and other ISI Web of Knowledge databases)
  • Project MUSE
  • Readex/NewsBank databases
  • MLA International Bibliography
  • and many, many more!
• Online encyclopedias and dictionaries from a variety of vendors such as:
  • Oxford University Press
  • Gale

​To read a call number, take each section one at a time: BF 1556 .Z66 2010

• BF
  Read the 1st line in alphabetical order: A, B, BF, C, D, DC...
• 1156
  Read the 2nd line as a whole number: 1, 2, 3, 32, 100, 101, 1000, 1100, 1156, 2000, 3000...
• .Z66
  First read the 3rd line alphabetically. Then read the following number as a decimal: .C51, .D49,  .Z616, .Z66, .Z8 
• 2010
  The last line is the year, and is read in chronological order: 1989, 1992, 2000, 2010, 2016 

Books and journals are arranged on our shelves according to the Library of Congress (LC) classification system. Each is assigned a unique call number based on its subject matter and other characteristics. Items on the same subject will often be grouped together.

Each call number consists of several elements. For example, consider:

TK
7881.6
M29
1993

The FIRST line, TK, is based on the broad subject of the book. Within Class T for technology, TK represents electrical engineering.

The SECOND line, 7881.6, defines the subject matter more finely. When looking for the book, read this as a whole number with a decimal component. In this example, TK7881.6 represents magnetic recording (a subdivision of TK— electrical engineering).

The THIRD line, M29, usually indicates author, but may also represent a further subject subdivision, geographic area, etc. There may also be a fourth line, formatted the same way. When looking for the book, read the numeric component as if it were preceded by a decimal point. In the example above, the numeric part of M29 should be read as ".29" (and the call number TK7881.6 M29 comes before TK7881.6 M4).

The YEAR of publication, such as 1993, may also be present. These file in chronological order and often indicate successive editions of a book. The call number may also have additional elements, such as volume numbers.

In using a call number to locate a book on the shelf, consider each element in turn before moving on to the next segment.

These call numbers are arranged as they should appear on the shelves. In each case, the element shown in boldface distinguishes the number from the preceding one:

The Northern Regional Library Facility (NRLF) is an off-campus storage facility for some library collections. NRLF materials are available to request in UC Library Search.

• Borrow print materials from NRLF in UC Library Search. 
• Receive electronic or paper copies of book chapters or journal articles in eligible titles in UC Library Search.

No time to go hunting around the library stacks to find the books you need?  Use UC Library Search to find the book you want,. Authenticate yourself with CalNet, and follow the prompts. UC Library Search will ask you where you want the book(s) delivered to.  You will get an email when the books are ready to be picked up (usually within 1-3 days).

You can also use this button to:

• Request materials from NRLF
• Place holds on items that are checked out
• Place holds on an item. 

Since the UC Berkeley Libraries have a world-class collection used by scholars who speak and read many languages, you may see many non-English titles in your search results. If you prefer to see only English-language materials, you can limit your search results in UC Library Search by language.