Finding Books in the Mudd Library

Want to find a book in our library?

Found the book you want in the catalog, but don't know how to find it in the library? Here are some tips for locating books in the library:

  • Maps of the Library show detailed maps of materials, study spaces, offices, and more that can be found in the library.
  • Books located in the main collection (3rd and 4th floors) can be checked out by all Lawrence students, faculty, and staff. For more on checking out books and many other library materials, see our Circulation page.
  • Books in the reference section and in the main (circulating) collection are shelved according to the Library of Congress Classification system. Below is a general guide to select subject areas and their corresponding call number letters, as well as where they are located in the Mudd Library.

Expand LC Classification Guide

Call No. Letter & General Subject
Call No. Letters & Selected Specific Subjects
Location in the Mudd Library
A -- General Works   Fourth Floor
  AE general encyclopedias fourth floor map
  AY almanacs, directories  
B -- Philosophy/Religion   Third Floor
  B philosophy (general) third floor map
  BF psychology  
  BL-BX religion  
  BM Judaism  
  BP Islam  
  BR Christianity  
  BS Bible  
  BX denominations and sects  
C -- Auxiliary Sciences of History   Fourth Floor
  CB history of civilization fourth floor map
  CS genealogy  
  CT general biography  
D -- History (General and World)   Fourth Floor
  D world history fourth floor map
  DA Great Britain  
  DC France  
  DD-DX other countries and areas  
E -- History of the Americas   Fourth Floor
  E America, Pre-Columbian America, elements in the population,  United States history fourth floor map
F -- History of the Americas   Fourth Floor
  F United States local history, Canadian history, Latin America, South America fourth floor map
G -- Geography   Fourth Floor
  G geography (general) fourth floor map
  GB physical geography  
  GN anthropology  
  GR folklore  
  GV recreation  
H -- Social Sciences   Fourth Floor
  HA statistics fourth floor map
  HB-HJ economics  
  HM-HX sociology  
J -- Political Science   Fourth Floor
  JA-JC political science fourth floor map
  JF-JN political institutions and public administration  
  JS local government  
  JV colonies and colonization  
  JZ international relations  
K -- Law   Fourth Floor
  K law in general fourth floor map
  KB religious law in general  
  KD-KWX laws of individual countries  
  KZ law of nations  
L -- Education   Fourth Floor
  L education (general) fourth floor map
  LB theory and practice of education  
  LC special aspects of education  
  LD-LG individual institutions by location  
  LH college and school magazines and papers  
  LJ student fraternities and societies  
M -- Music and Books on Music    
  M scores media center, first floor
  ML literature third floor
  MT musical instruction, study third floor
N -- Fine Arts   Third Floor
  NA architecture third floor map
  NB sculpture  
  NC drawing, design  
  ND painting  
  NE-NX other arts  
P -- Language and Literature   Third Floor
  P philology and linguistics third floor map
  PA classical  
  PN literature  
  PQ Romance literature  
  PR English literature  
  PS American literature  
 

PT Germanic literature

  
  PZ juvenile literature  
Q -- Science   Third Floor
  QA mathematics third floor map
  QB astronomy  
  QC physics  
  QD chemistry  
  QE geology  
  QH natural history  
  QK botany  
  QL zoology  
  QM human anatomy  
  QP physiology  
  QR microbiology  
R -- Medicine   Third Floor
  R medicine (general) third floor map
  RA public aspects of medicine  
  RB-RZ branches of medicine  
S -- Agriculture   Third Floor
  S agriculture (general) third floor map
  SB-SD plant culture, forestry  
  SF animal culture  
  SH aquaculture, fisheries  
  SK hunting sports  
T -- Technology   Third Floor
  TA-TK engineering by category third floor map
  TL motor vehicles, aeronautics, astronautics  
  TR photography  
  TS arts and crafts, handicrafts  
  TX home economics  
U -- Military Service   Third Floor
  UA armies third floor map
  UB military administration  
  UG military engineering  
V -- Naval Service   Third Floor
  VA navies third floor map
  VB naval administration  
  VK navigation, merchant marine  
  VM naval architecture, shipbuilding  
Z -- Bibliography, Library Science, Information Resources   Fourth Floor
  Z books, writing, paleography, libraries, bibliography fourth floor map
  ZA information resources  

eBooks and Audiobooks

eBooks
Audiobooks
  • The Mudd Library has a collection of audio books and other text CDs on the first floor.
  • The Appleton Public Library provides access to OneClickdigital and Overdrive audiobooks. They also have a collection of audiobooks on CD, Playaway, and other formats.

Children's Books in the Mudd Library

Juvenile literature on a shelf

In addition to materials directly supporting the Lawrence curriculum, the library’s collections include many children's picture books, fairy tales, and children's and young adult novels.  Our children’s literature collection supports the work of our education department, as well as the many faculty, staff, and students who enjoy the wealth of knowledge, joy, and wisdom that come from children's literature.

Most of our children's literature is located on the third floor, in the PZ and oversized PZ section.

Award-Winning Children's Literature

To find award-winning and honor books in the Mudd Library, first look for the book title in one of the following lists, then search by title or author in the library catalog:

  • List of Newbery Medal Honor Books, 1922-Present: given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children."
  • List of Caldecott Medal & Honor Books, 1938-Present: recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children."
  • Coretta Scott King Book Award: given annually to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values.
  • Rainbow Book List: presents an annual bibliography of quality books with significant and authentic GLBTQ content, which are recommended for people from birth through eighteen years of age.
  • Printz Award for Young Adult Literature: an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature.
  • Other awards from the American Library Association and affiliated associations

The award names may also be searched as keywords in the library catalog (e.g. "Caldecott medal" or "Newbery medal"). This type of search will also display books about these awards or their namesakes that may be helpful for those studying education, illustration, literature, etc.

Historic Children's Literature

historical children's picture books on a shelfIn addition to contemporary children's literature, our main collection and Milwaukee-Downer collection contain many historical children's books for those interested in the history of publishing for children. For access to materials from the Milwaukee-Downer collection, please see our use of special collections page. Selections from a small sampling of our Milwaukee-Downer collection, some of which are children's books, are viewable in Lux, Lawrence University's institutional repository.

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Special Collections & Rare Books

Interested in the library's special and rare book collections? See our Special Collections page.

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