Information Retrieval
For a quick retrieval of information, you need to learn how materials are organized in the library and how they are retrieved systematically. Books in the library are arranged through the use of Dewey Decimal Classification System and Cutter’s Three-Figure Author Table and are retrieved through the card catalog. These tools of organizing book are discussed below:
Dewey Decimal System
The library uses the Dewey Decimal Classification System. This system of classification has set up ten categories under which books are classified:
| 000-099 | Generalities |
| 100-199 | Philosophy and Psychology |
| 200-299 | Religion |
| 300-399 | Social Sciences |
| 400-499 | Languages |
| 500-599 | Natural Sciences and Mathematics |
| 600-699 | Technology (Applied Sciences) |
| 700-799 | Arts |
| 800-899 | Literature and Rhetoric |
| 900-999 | Geography & History |
The Card Catalog
The card catalog is the key to the library collection. it is an alphabetical file of 3 x 5 cards that lists all the books the library contains arranged by author, subject and title. You will have to use the card catalog throughout your school life, so you should familiarize yourself with the information each card contains and how cards get into the card catalog cabinet. Intelligent use of the card catalog saves time and effort. The card catalog of Colegio de Dagupan is located at the 4th floor of the Administration Building.
The card catalog contains information contains whether a book contains maps, plates, index, illustrations, bibliography and the like. It is also the cataloguer’s responsibilities to determine the subject covered by the book and to give a call number that will enable the library to place it on a shelf with other books on the same subject. At the bottom of the card, the cataloguer indicates the subject entries that help to locate a book if the reader doesn’t know the author or the title.
Types of Catalog Card
When the library receives a book, it is sent to the cataloguer who shall examine it, makes out a card that contains the author’s name, his birth date, and if deceased, the date of his death date, the title of the book the publisher, place and date of his publication, the number of pages and size of the book in centimeters. After which the cataloguer produces three types of cards to provide more access points for retrieval. These are the author card, title card and subject card.
Author Card (usually the main entry card)
When you want to know which work by an author can be found in the library, you should consult the author card. Include in the category authors are writers, editors, compilers and translator. The author card is considered as the main entry card because it is where the rest of the cards are based A sample is shown in Figure 6.
| COM 658.4012 C43 1988 |
Certo, Samuel T. Strategic management concepts and Applications / Samuel T. Certo. – 8th ed. – New York: Random House, C1988. xxi, 126 p.: ill. ; 23 cm. – {Modern Management series) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN : 0-394-35920-9 1. Corporate planning United States. I. Title. II. Series. |
Title Card
The title card can lead you to work when you know the title but not the authors. If a title begins with any of the artcles such as “A”, “An”, or “The”, look under the second word of the title. For example: if you are looking for a book entitled “An introduction to accounting”, look under the “I” indices. An example is shown in Figure 7.
| COM 658.4 C43 1988 |
Strategic management concepts and applications Certo, Samuel T. Strategic management concepts and applications / Samuel T. Certo. – 8th ed. – New York: Random House, c1988. xxi, 126 p.: ill. ; 23 cm. – {Modern Management series) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN : 0-394-35920-9 |
Subject Card
Subject cards are important tools for locating sources relevant to your topic, they indicate all the works in the library dealing with one subject. Subject cards are filed according to the words or phrases known as subject headings located at the top of the car. Subject headings always appear in capital letters.
It is useful to note the subject areas under which books for your topic are cataloged; those subjects headings can lead you to related headings and additional sources of information. You can also find subject headings by looking up at a general area such as art, linguistics, literature or physics, and noting the subdivisions and cross-references for the subject. An example is shown below:
| COM. 658.4 C43 2000 |
CORPORATE PLANNING-UNITEDSTATES- CASE STUDIES Certo, Samuel T. Strategic Management Concepts and Applications Samuel T. Certo and Paul Peter. – New York: Random House/Lon business Division, 1998. xxi, 126 p. : ill. ; 23 cm. – (Modern management series) Includes bibliographical references and index ISBN 0-9712-3467-0 |
Part of a Catalog Card
Call Number
A call number is code use to arranged books shelves. It is compose of various elements such as location symbol, classification number, author number or book number, date of publication and other necessary elements such as copy number, volume number, and book number.
A sample is shown below:
| Ex. | COM 658.4012 C43 1993 |
| COM: | Location symbol (Where the book is located) |
| 658.4: | Classification Number ( the number taken from the DDC System) |
| C43: | Author number (Author’s initial with a corresponding number taken from the Cutter’s Table) |
| 1993: | Date of Publication |
Title and Statement of Responsibility Area
This area contains the following elements: (1) title proper (including alternative titles); (2) parallel title; (3) other title information; (4) statement of responsibility (author, editor and compiler).
A title proper, including any alternative title, is transcribed from the book exactly as to wording, order and spelling though not necessarily as to punctuation and capitalization.
A parallel title is a title proper in another language or script.
Other title information includes any title other than the title proper, alternative title or parallel title.
Statement of responsibility names the person or persons responsible for the intellectual or artistic content of the item being described, the corporate body or bodies from which the content emanates, or the person or corporate bodies responsible for the performance of the content.
Edition Area
This area contains four elements: (1) edition statement, (2) statement of responsibility relating to the edition, (3) statement relating to a named version of an edition, and (4) statement of responsibility relating to a named revision of an edition.
Publication, Distribution, etc. area
This area informs us when and where a material was published and who published it.
Ex. New York: Random House, c1998.
Where:| New York : | Place of Publication |
| Random House : | Publisher |
| c1998 : | Copyright date/date of publication |
Physical description Area
The area in the catalog card describes the physical appearance of a material.
Ex. Xxi, 126 p.: ill. ; 23 cm.
Where| xxi | Preliminary pages |
| 126 p. | Total number of pages |
| Ill. | Illustrations |
| 23 cm. | Height of the book |
Series Area This area contains series titles and related numberings
Ex. Modern management series; no. 1
Note Area
This area contains information which cannot be accommodated by the other areas.
Ex. includes bibliographical references and index
Standard Number and Terms of Availability Area
ISBN consist ten digits preceded by the letters ISBN. The ten digits number is divided into four parts of variable length, which must be separated clearly by hyphens or spaces. These numbers have corresponding meanings
Ex: ISBN: 0-394-35920-8
Groups of ISBN
Tracings
Tracings are words or group of words used to access a certain book. It can be a name of a person, series title, or subject heading. It is usually found in the main entry card. Go back to the example under author card and look for:
1. Corporate Planning---United States. I. Title. II. Series.
It is the tracing of the book cited which means that the book described can be retrieved by using the subject, Corporate Planning---United States; the title, Strategic Management: concepts and application; and the series title, Modern management series.
Inter/Intra Library Loan System
Books and other materials not found in Colegio de Dagupan Library but are available in other libraries within Dagupan City may be borrowed through this system. In addition, students may also research in other schools. A referral letter is issued at Chief Librarian’s Office for this purpose. A sample is shown at the Appendix. For further assistance and information, inquire at the Chief Librarian’s Office.
Phototyping Service
To save time and effort of researcher the library allows duplication of prints and non-prints resources. This privilege is set forth by R.A. 8293 otherwise known as the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines.
Library Orientation
The library conducts orientation at the beginning of every semester for freshmen, transferees, and newly hired faculty members at the main library. This will enable the academic community to maximize the use of library resources.
