Locating Items in the Library

The first step in locating items housed in the Library is to obtain their call numbers. You may search the Library Catalog for books by title, author, subject, or keyword; serial titles (magazines, journals, etc.), by title or keyword in the catalog or consult Journal Finder.

The catalog will display the information you will need to find items owned by the Libraries, including their call numbers, shelving locations (Stacks, Reading Room, Reserve Desk, etc.) and current status (Available, Checked Out, On Hold, etc.). If you have questions about using the catalog or need help finding items not in the catalog, you may ask for help by chat, email or mobile device or at the Reference or Checkout Desks, both located on the first floor.

Next, find the shelving location:

In the catalog the shelving location for books and media will be listed to the right of the call number under the heading Location.
- Click on the Location link to open the online Locations of Materials page. For journals, the shelving Location will be listed under the heading Holdings.
- If the Location is Stacks, find the closest match in the “Call # Begins” column then look at the “Location” column just to the right to determine on which floor the item shelved.
- If the Location is other than Stacks, find the matching location in the “Other Collections” column then look at the “Location” column just to the right to determine on which floor the item is shelved.
In the Library, pick up a Stacks Location chart at the Reference or Checkout Desk.
Brief location charts by call number range are posted in the elevators.

If an item's status is Available, you may go to its shelving location to find it on the shelf. (Available items with the location Reserve Desk are shelved at the Checkout Desk. Give the call number to the desk staff.) If the item is not on the shelf or is in an unfamiliar location, ask for help at the Checkout Desk where the staff will assist you with your search and, if needed, placing a request for the missing item.

If an item’s status is Checked Out or On Hold, UNCG students, faculty and staff and members of the Friends of the UNCG Libraries can place a request for the item to be held for them upon return; UNCG students, faculty, and staff may be able to borrow the items through Interlibrary Loan or at another local or UNC library. See the Checked Out Material Request web page for more information on these services.

For items in the location of Storage, all library patrons may place paper requests for them at the Checkout Desk. UNCG students, faculty, and staff and Friends of the UNCG Libraries may place online requests instead:

For books and media, in the catalog click the Storage link in the status box and follow the instructions.
For bound journals, click the link “See the Holdings Display”. Next find the specific volumes needed, click the Storage link in the status box and follow the instructions.

Items with Faculty Delivery in the status box are available for Campus Book Delivery service. This service is available to UNCG faculty and staff only.

Book chapters or journal articles from non-circulating print items can be requested by UNCG faculty and graduate students through the Desktop Document Delivery service.