FINDING YOUR WAY AROUND THE LIBRARY
The Reference Desk is near the Librarian's Office. 
Look for the desk with question marks. Bring your assignment sheet with you when  you come to the library, and we will do our best to help you. Let us know as soon as you receive an assignment. If we don't already have a topic guide, we will make one for you.  See Library Floor Plan for finding your way around the book stacks, and please ask someone for help if you can't find the book you need.

In the Keeley Library, Books are arranged on the shelves by the Dewey Decimal System. This system usually puts books about the same subject next to each other on the shelves. Here is the broad outline we use to shelve books at Durfee:
000-099 General Works Encyclopedias Bibliographies 
100-199 Philosophy, Psychology, Ethics
200-299 Religion, Bible, Church History, Mythology
300-399 Social Sciences Sociology, Community Life, Family Life, Ecology, Education,       Transportation, Folklore
400-499 Language, English, Foreign Languages, Dictionaries, Alphabets
500-599 Pure Sciences Mathematics, Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry, Geology, Biology, Evolution, Plants, Animals 
600-699 Applied Science and Technology, Health, Medicine,Safety, Inventions, Machinery, Automobile Repair, Space, Farming, Cooking, Manufacturing, Construction, Child Care
700-799 Fine Arts, Architecture, Coins, Pottery, Handicrafts, Drawing, Photography, Music, Dance, Recreation, Hobbies
800-899 Literature, Poetry, Plays, Short Stories, Novels, Essays, Speeches, Letters, Humor
900-999 History, Geography, Atlases, Travel, Collected Biographies, History or countries, History of the United States
Note: Fiction books are shelved in the 800-899 section with other literature books. Examples: 
  • 813 stacks (American Literature)
  • 823 stacks, (British Literature)
  • 833 stacks, (German Literature) and so on
Note:Individual biographies are under the subject. 

For instance, books about the artist, Renoir, would be in the 750's with the painting books.

Books about the scientist, Pasteur, would be in the 500's with the Science books

To locate a book, you first  need to look up the title, author or subject in the SAILS online public access catalog. The call number is in the top left corner of the computer  screen. If the book is in the Keeley Library, copy the call number and then........ .......go to the stacks where these books are shelved. You can borrow books that are in the Circulating Collection. These are the tall book stacks along the back of the library. If you can't find the book, get someone to help you. 

 
 Once you have your book, take it to the Circulation Desk  near the library entrance to check it out. You may borrow as many as four books for two weeks. Books may also be renewed for another two weeks. If you don't have a library card, you can get one at the Circulation Desk.

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Jane Constant  Keeley Library
B.M.C.Durfee High School of Fall River
September, 1978  to  June, 2001