CU Scarborough - Library Guide: Using the Library

Using Dewey Decimal classification to find subject material

Academic writing

To make things as easy as possible, we've brought all the books about planning, researching and writing your assignments together in a single section. You can find them on the lower shelving facing the cafe: they all have a green sticker on their spine. 

There may also be books about researching and writing assignments for your particular subject, shelved with your other course books.

Computing, Software and Cybersecurity

004-006 contains many of the books you will need if studying an IT or cyber-security topic (one of the downsides of the Dewey system is that it dates from the 19th century, so more modern innovations like computers, film and television are forced into short spare number sequences).

You may also find useful material on legal aspects of cyber-security in the law area, 340-349.

Psychology, Counselling and Child Development

150-159 contains materials which are useful to several different subjects, principally Psychology and Counselling, but also Health and Social Care and books relating to child development which may be useful for Early Childhood and Primary Education. Look further into this gallery for more information about other areas where these topics are covered!

Social sciences and sociology of different groups

The 300-399 span of the Dewey classification system is focused on the social sciences, with the area 300-309 particularly focused on what would generally be considered sociological concerns. If your course requires you to look at different groups, demographics,communities or cultures, this is likely to be a good place to find useful resources.

Law

340-349 is the Dewey area which includes nearly all the books you will need for legal topics, whether you are studying Law itself or looking at the law as it relates to your field or subject. The other area which may be useful to Law students is Criminology, which is mostly in the 364 area.

Public Health & Social Care

362 is where the majority of books relating to public health concerns can be found. Books useful to this topic may also be found within medical practice (610-619) and social science (300-310) areas.

Policing & Criminology

363 contains the majority of books relating to policing, with other useful books relating to criminology immediately following at 364. There are also useful texts regarding the application of the law in the 340-349 section.

Education & Early Years

Education books are pretty neatly contained in the 370-379 range. This includes all levels of education, including early years and primary education, along with higher education (for your tutors). Early years education material is also a bit more dispersed; you will find useful content in the child development section at 154 too. Additionally, children's literature materials can be found in the 809 area.

Sciences

The Dewey classification system splits sciences into two types: 'pure' sciences, like biology and maths, and 'applied' sciences (or 'technology'), like medicine and engineering. The 'pure' sciences section, 500-599, may contain material about the theoretical underpinnings of ideas and concepts which you are using more practically in your course.

Applied Sciences

The Dewey classification system splits sciences into two types: 'pure' sciences, like biology and maths, and 'applied' sciences (or 'technology'), like medicine and engineering. Applied sciences also includes some things you wouldn't necessarily expect, like business, and sits in the 600-699 range.

Nursing, Medicine & Health

610-619 contains most of the books needed for students studying nursing, as well as useful books for those studying Health and Social Care, Public Health and some mental health aspects of Counselling.

Engineering

620-629 is the main area to find materials relating to engineering, though this relates more to large-scale engineering of the types common in the nineteenth century, meaning that electro-mechanical engineering area can be a bit more spread out across the library.

Useful books can also be found in 510 (mathematics), 530 (physics and mechanics) and 604 (engineering drawings).

Business, Management, Leadership & Public Relations

The interconnected disciplines of business, management and leadership, alongside PR and office-related skills, sit in the 650-659 range. Books relating to these areas are pretty neatly contained to this run of books, though some of the titles in the social science section may also be helpful when looking at people-based problems.

Acting

Acting and performance-related texts can be found in the 792 area, but this is not the only place a budding thespian can hone their art. Close by in 808, there are texts on plays and the literary aspect of drama. There is also a whole collection of Drama and Playscripts, which can be found with the other collections on the low-level shelving at the other end of the Library.

Sports & Leisure Management

The 'sport' side of SLM is covered in the 796 area of the Library. However, a large amount of the 'management' side of the course is covered in the main management section in 658.

Careers and Employability

It's never too early to start thinking about your next steps after finishing uni. This small collection of books will help you to look at potential careers if you're not that sure yet, as well as books on producing top-notch CVs and applications, putting across your best self and interviewing well. Find them at the front of the collection, with purple labels on their spines.

Reading Well

The Reading Well collection contains titles purchased to help support students' mental and physical health. The books are a combination of those suggested by the Books on Prescription scheme, titles chosen by Student Support and suggestions from staff and students.