Tommy Nixon
Humanities Reference Librarian
tommy_nixon@unc.edu
919.962.1151

This Library of Congress classification system holds true for any library in the world using the LC system. For example, Romance language dictionaries will always be classed in the PCs, while English language dictionaries will always be classed in the PEs. General literature will be in the PNs, Romance language literartures in the PQs, British literature in the PRs & American literature in the PSs.

Use this Map to find books in Davis Reference.

Use this Location Guide to find books in Davis.

Through the Carolina BLU Delivery Service, you can request to have books and articles available at any of the UNC-CH campus libraries, as well as books and articles requested through interlibrary loan, delivered to the campus library most convenient to you.

Bibliographic verification (known item as opposed to subject searching) accounts for a substantial portion of scholarly research time. The entire array of reference "tools" may be brought into service in the effort to track down a particular edition of an obscure work, unscramble a "snarly citation," find a library that holds a rare 19th century journal, or locate a copy of a medieval manuscript. In the effort to secure the "known item," a scholar may use encyclopedias, a variety of indexes, specialized subject bibliographies, union catalogs, and individual library catalogs. Below are listed some of the most important verification tools.

Union catalogs represent the holdings of many libraries, thereby providing a "unified catalog."

WorldCat
WorldCat is the world's largest union catalog, representing the holdings in all formats of several thousand libraries. As such, it is an unparalled resource for finding libraries that hold specific books, journals, cataloged manuscripts, etc. In addition to being a resource for specific known item searches, it is also an unparalled resource for subject searching across many libraries' holdings. WorldCat does not include individual articles, stories in journals, magazines, newspapers, or book chapters.

National Library Catalogues Worldwide
Provides links to major national catalogs in many countries.

Libweb: Library Servers via WWW
Provides access to libraries in 146 countries.

British Library Catalogues on the Web
A major catalog, this site also provides links to the BL manuscript catalog & other important catalogs.

Copac National, Academic, and Specialist Library Catalogue
A major union catalog for the U.K. & Ireland.

Bibliothèque nationale de France
Provides link to the general catalog & other important sites.

These older print union catalogs are still useful & will sometimes provide holdings for items not found in any of the electronic union catalogs, including WorldCat.

The National Union Catalog, Pre-1956 Imprints; a Cumulative Author List Representing Library of Congress Printed cards and Titles Reported by Other American Libraries. Compiled and edited with the cooperation of the Library of Congress and the National Union Catalog Subcommittee of the Resources Committee of the Resources and Technical Services Division, American Library Association. 754 vols. London: Mansell, 1968-1981.
One of the great bibliographic projects in the pre-digital era. The NUC is a main entry union catalog of North American library holdings for books printed prior to 1956. Although much of this material is now in WorldCat, the NUC is still heavily used for bibliographic verification. Referred to as "the NUC," "the NUC Pre-56," and sometimes as "Mansell" (the publisher).
Davis Reference Z881.A1 U518

Newspapers in Microform. 3 vols. Washington: The Library.
A union catalog of North American library holdings for domestic and foreign newpapers on microfilm. Papers for all periods are included. Referred to as "NIM."
Davis Reference Desk Z6945 .N75

Union List of Serials. 5 vols. Prepared under the sponsorship of the Joint Committee on the Union List of Serials. Washington: Library of Congress, [1953].
Again, "no one source is comprehensive," so the Union List of Serials is often still useful. Caveat: older serial titles may be cataloged under Corporate Author (e.g., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) rather than under title. Referred to as "ULS." Cutoff date for serials is 1950. Newer titles are in New Serial Titles ("NST").
Davis Reference Books In Print Stand Z6945 .U45

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