Skip to Main Content

Subject support guide

Library Search My Account

Newcastle Libraries - Self Guided Tours

Philip Robinson Library banner showing Book Trust Collection shelves and two students talking.

Exploring the shelves
 

Back at the Research Space we mentioned that there are two main differences between Level 3 and Level 4 - their colour scheme and the subjects of the resources on each. 

Our books are organised using the Dewey Decimal system, which assigns a number to each subject area. For example History books are all assigned a number between 930-999; a book on the history of Newcastle upon Tyne would have a Dewey Decimal number of 942.87.

The books on Level 3 span Dewey Decimal numbers 0 to 619 which covers Computer Science, Philosophy, Religion, Social Sciences, Languages, Science, and Technology (and all related sub-sections). The books on Level 4 span Dewey Decimal numbers 620 to 999 which covers Arts and Recreation, Literature, and History and Geography (and all related sub-sections).

When you find a book on Library Search, remember to carefully note down the shelfmark (this is the Dewey Decimal number plus three letters e.g. 942.87 JON) and the level the book is located on too - it'll save you some time wandering the building.

Now you've seen how it's done - it's your turn!  

We've picked out some books on Level 4 and noted down all the location information below, take a look and see if you can find one of them on the shelves:

1. Newcastle Upon Tyne: a modern history - Philip Robinson Library, Books Level 4, 942.876 NEW

2. The Oxford Companion to Music -  Philip Robinson Library, Books Level 4, 780.3 OXF

3. The Unwritten Laws of Engineering - Philip Robinson Library, Books Level 4, 620 KIN

4. Alice's Adventures: Lewis Carroll in popular culture - Philip Robinson Library, Books Level 4, 823.8 CAR (Bro)