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Henry Whittemore Library Frequently Asked Questions

How Do I Request A Book?

Check the title of the book by title, keyword, and or author search in the Minuteman Library Network under "all locations collection." If your book is located in a Minuteman library other then our library, you may order it online. It will take 3-6 days to arrive at FSU.

If your book is not available in the Minuteman Network and you have the title of the book or the author you may order the book through the Commonwealth Catalog. This will take 1-2 weeks to arrive at FSU.

If neither the Minuteman Catalog or the Commonwealth Catalog have your book, then you can do one of these things:

  • Interlibrary Loan the item through the ILL form under the "Borrowing" section of the Library Web Site (takes 2-3 weeks). See video below for how to fill out the ILL form.
  • Or to find this book in another academic library, you can go to WorldCat to see where this is located. You can place a request for interlibrary loan directly from WorldCat. It can take up to two weeks for items to arrive.

In WorldCat go to the advanced search. Limit type to book. You may do a title search by book title. You may also search by ISBN (international standard book number). Then you can click on "libraries that own the item." All the Massachusetts libraries will be listed first. Most academic libraries in Massachusetts will let you in to look at their books in-house, (but not check-out their books). (Bring your school ID and be serious and polite.) Remember: at any Massachusetts Public Higher Education Institution, you may check-out books with your FSU library card. (Exception: U Mass Medical, Worcester does not allow borrowing.)

How Do I Find Books Using the Library of Congress Classification System?

Academic libraries organize the books on the shelf using a classification system called the Library of Congress Classification System. This differs from public libraries which use the Dewey Decimal System. Subjects are organized by letters; one way to quickly find where the books on a particular subject are located is to look at a classification schedule (for example, the P's is where you can find language and literature.)

The classification system uses letters and numbers called "call numbers" to arrange the books. If you have the call number, you are then able to find the book anywhere in the library.

The best way of locating a book is to first conduct a search in the online Minuteman Library Network catalog, using a subject, keyword or title search. Once you find a book, write down the call number to help you locate the book in the library. A librarian can help you locate the book in the stacks as well.