Use the Library Discovery Search to look up books and obtain the call number. Just follow these steps:
- From the Library homepage, enter your search terms in Discovery Search and select "Books/Media@Purchase" from the dropdown menu to the right of the search bar. This will limit your results to only books, films, and CDs that are held at Purchase College Library.
- Your search results will yield results that contain your search term(s). Your search term can appear in the title, author name, summary, table of contents, or subject terms.
- To locate a specific book on the shelf, note the book's call number and availability status. Consult the Library's collection maps to find out where the call number is located in the Library.
- You can also use the "Advanced Search" to enter search terms into specific fields like title or author name.
Purchase College Library uses the Library of Congress classification system to determine the organization of our books. Looking up the call number in our catalog is usually faster and easier than browsing without a starting point; that said, you are welcome to browse at any time!
Most of our books are located in the Lower Level (basement), with the exception of art books which are located on the Second Floor. For details, see our FAQ on locating books or the collection maps.
Need Help?
If you are unsure about where an item is located or how to use the catalog, please ask for assistance at either the Reference Desk or Circulation Desk. You may also use the options on our Ask A Librarian page to contact a librarian via chat, text, phone, or email.
