Reserves (Course Reserves) Collection (1st Floor)
Description: Professors place a copy of SOME of the required texts and supplemental course readings on reserve in the Library. (Of these copies, some are older editions of the current textbook.) Also, some material is placed on "General Reserve" by librarians and some faculty and has a call number "Gen Res" or General Reserve" -these include some style manuals and other items not usually associated with a specific course.
Using this collection: Students will ask for one book at a time and they will need to present their student ID. The item will be checked out to the student for 2 hours. The items must remain at all times in the Library.
Location: Behind Circulation Desk -most are shelved on the wall shelves. The graduate print reserves are shelved on the low shelves behind the circulation stations.
Spine label: each book has a course prefix and course number on the spine label. Books are arranged by the letter, then by the number, except for General Reserves. (General Reserves are usually shelved near the end of Reserves).
Example: EN131, EN132, HI131
New Book Collection (1st Floor)
Description: Selected newly processed books are added to this informal collection.
Using this collection: Books may be checked out as usual.
Location : Near Circulationation Desk, 1st floor.
Spine label Prefix: no prefix, B or J. Since these are selected books from Main, Black, and Juvenile Collections, they have the usual type of spine label for that specific collection. Books are arranged by collection and then by call number.
Notes: Before COVID, new books were assigned a New Books location in the catalog record and a Orange/Red NEW BOOK label was attached above the spine label. But this was discontinued during the pandemic.
If you see a book upstairs with a NEW BOOK sticker above the spine label, please bring it downstairs and give it to Technical Processing so location in the catalog record can be changed and also so the sticker may be removed from the spine.
Ready Reference Collection (1st Floor)
Description: The Ready Reference Collection helps librarians and students quickly answer quick facts or brief background information. The collection includes dictionaries, general and specialized encyclopedias, biographical works, almanacs, and statistical volumes
Using this collection: Anyone can use this collection. Books are for use in the Library only
Location: next to Reference offices
Spine label: a R prefix AND a yellow spine label (the entire label is yellow)
(not to be confused with books upstairs, especially in the nursing collection, that have a strip of yellow tape with the word" HISTORICAL" above the spine label.)
(Books with an R prefix and a white spine label belong in the larger Reference collection upstairs)
Description: Extra books of books in the black collection were removed, for space reasons and placed in the "Ask Staff for Assistance" Collection. Academic Media DVDS due back in two weeks. BP volumes- -older volumes on mainly African American topics and some Florida, and Methodist Church publications
Using this collection: Staff members retrieve items users want. Items from TS and both media collections circulate. All items are cataloged. BP volumes do not circulate- library use only.
Location : Technical Services Room
Spine label Prefix: "TS" for Ask Staff for Assistance books, "DVD" for Movies , "Media" for Academic Media , and "BP": for Bound Periodicals. (Note The movie collection has been discarded. The photo caption above needs correcting)
TS , BP and Media collections have regular call numbers with Dewey and cutter numbers.
Black Collection (2nd Floor)
Description: This book collection is devoted to all aspects of African American history, life, and culture. This collection is called the "Black Collection"
Using this collection: Books can be checked out.
Location : 2nd floor, on the left, as you come up the main staircase.
Spine label: B prefix and Dewey number
Be careful when shelving. Many of the books, especially in the 300s have long decimals in the Dewey number. It's common, especially if the book is thin, for the top line to continue onto the next line, just for spacing reasons - but the line should still, for shelving purposes, be considered 1 line.(More about this in Part 2 How to Shelve books.)
Also, occasionally you will see an older book in the Black Collection with the prefix “N” – which was used when many years ago when the collection was called the “Negro Collection”. Bring these books to a staff member so the prefix can be changed to a “B”.)
Main Collection (2nd Floor)
Description: This is the largest collection of circulating books in the library and contains college-level books other than those that are in the Black Collection.
Using this collection: Users may borrow books. Books are arranged by Dewey call number.
Location: 2nd Floor. Two large sections :1 section has 001s to 600s and the other section has books 700s to 900s.
Spine label prefix: No prefix. (By default if you see a book's call number label and it doesn't have a prefix, it belongs in the main collection)
Reference Collection (2nd Floor)
Description: This is the larger Reference collection in the library.
Using this collection: Users may use these books in the library but they do not circulate outside the building.
Location : 2nd Floor, spanning entire north wall.
Spine label prefix: R with a white label (in contrast to the 1st floor smaller Ready Reference collection that has a R prefix and an transparent yellow label affixed over the entire white label)
Juvenile Collection and Graphic Novels Collection (two collections- 2nd Floor)
Description: The Juvenile collection is for reading level pre-K to high school/young adult. The Graphic novels collection contains graphic novels and some comics for all reading levels.
Using this collection: Books are circulating.
Location : After the Main collection 900s.
Spine label prefix: J for Juvenile and GRAPHIC NOVEL for the graphic novels. Also see note below regarding Big Books.
Note: The is a small collection of very large picture books, large enough so a group of children can see the illustrations as the teacher holds up the book and reads the story. Big Books are shelved in a small blond wooden bin located near the start of Reference. This is a browsing collection and is the only collection that is not arranged by call number.
Oversize Collection (2nd Floor)
Description: This collection of books are ones that are oversized -very tall or very long.
Using this collection: Users can use the books in the Library. books do not circulate outside the library.
Location: Located on the 2nd Floor, next to the Interlibrary Loan (ILL) office.
Spine label prefix: Prefix is OS.
Musical Scores Collection (2nd Floor)
Description: Print musical scores. Scores may be checked out.
Using this collection: Arranged by Dewey Number
Location : 2nd Floor, west wall of the library, near Archives
Spine label: Prefix is SCORE and cataloged using Dewey
Note: When shelving scores look carefully at the call number. The cover of scores can look very similar to one another but have very different call numbers.
(To the left of the scores is several sets of Florida Statutes and other law sets. For space reasons they are shelved here, instead of in the nearby Reference Collection.)
Special Collections and Archives Collections (Two collections -2nd Floor)
Description: Special Collections included books that are of historical value and may be hard to replace or may be of significant monetary value. The collection also includes other materials designated for closed stack protection and/or security. The Archives Collections include reference books on Dr. Bethune and the University, as well as books on Archives management. Donated book collections may also be found in the Archives. (The Archives Collection is separate from the official University Archives papers, letters, reports, memorabilia, photos, other original documents, and items housed in the Archives department).
Using these collections: B-CU users and members of the public contact the Archivist for access. to the official Archives. but sometimes a faculty member or administrator may ask to borrow a book from Special Collections. A staff member will usually go up and pull the book for checkout if permission is given to borrow the material.
Location: 2nd floor, southwest corner. Doors are kept locked.
Spine label: Special Collection Prefix is SPEC and Archives prefix is ARCH and ARCV.
Shelving: Don't shelve SPEC ARCH, ARCV yourself. Place these volumes on Dr. West-White's bookcart which is in Technical Services.
Rev. 4/6/2024
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