Library books are available in two formats: traditional printed books or electronic books (also known as e-books).
Library Search holds all the details of the books available at Queen's so when you know which book you need, search for the author or editor surname name and a few words from the title.
To find books about a topic, you can enter 2 or 3 keywords, click Search and then on the left side of the results page, select the Resource Type, Books. You'll notice that when viewing a full book record, there are subject headings. Click on any that apply to draw together a list of all the books that the Library has about that subject.
Ebooks
E-books can be accessed both on campus and from home. Please click here for advice on accessing and troubleshooting e-books.
Print books
Please see the section below called Locating library books. It outlines how to interpret the Library of Congress classification system used at Queen's.
Library books are available in two formats: traditional printed books or electronic books (also known as e-books). Irrespective of format, all books have a number of standard features. Understanding these features will help you find content relevant to your studies. Often you will not be expected to read a single book cover to cover but rather navigate several books and extract relevant information.
Each library book has a label on the spine called a shelfmark which is a combination of letters and numbers. It can be broken down into sections to make it easier to find the book you are looking for. For example:
Browsing the book shelves will help you locate other titles which you may find helpful.
Sometimes the Library at Queens may not have a particular book which you need, or not enough books on your topic of interest.
You can use Library Hub Discover (the combined catalogues of more than 170 major UK and Irish libraries) or WorldCat to find books on your topic of interest which are not available at Queen's.
If you identify a useful book, you may be able to request a temporary loan of the book from another library via the Inter-Library Loans service. Alternatively, if you would like to request that the book be purchased for the Library collection please Norma Menabney.
Reading list books
The library makes every effort to hold the key texts that are on reading lists for your modules.
If there are books on your module reading list which you cannot find in the Library Search, please let the Library know by filling in our book form or emailing your Subject Librarian.