Finding Books at UBC Library

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Four pieces of information displayed in Summon can help you find an item:

1.    Availability: This tells you whether the material is currently available, checked out by another library user, or not on the shelf for some other reason. 
2.    Call Number: The Library of Congress call number determines where the book will appear on the shelf. Books are shelved in alphabetical order, then by number.
3.    Library Branch: This is the name of the library building where a book is kept. UBC Library has multiple branches across its campuses. Locations for all branches can be found on the website hours.library.ubc.ca.
4.    Location Within Branch: Most branches have separate areas called stacks (the majority of the shelves, these books can be borrowed normally), reference (background reading that is kept in the library and can only be borrowed with special permission), and reserves (books that have been set aside for course use, with varied borrowing periods).