To browse the library shelves for books about American History use the general call numbers below. You will find these books in the library's SOUTH Stacks.
D - History (General) and History of Europe
D731-838-World War II (1939-1945)
D839-860-Post-war history (1945-)
E - History - America & United States
E151-889 United States
F - History - United States (Local) & America (except the U.S.)
F 1-975 - United States (Individual States)
Ever wonder how books are shelved?
In this library we use The Library of Congress Classification System to organize books on the shelves. The LC SYSTEM organizes material in libraries according to twenty-one branches of knowledge called classes. The system uses letters to represent the twenty-one broad branches of knowledge. The letters I, O, W, X AND Y are not used.
The twenty-one classes are:
A – GENERAL WORKS
B – PHILOSOPHY, PSYCHOLOGY, RELIGION
C – AUXILIARY SCIENCES OF HISTORY
D – HISTORY: GENERAL & OUTSIDE THE AMERICAS
E – HISTORY: UNITED STATES
F – HISTORY: UNITED STATES LOCAL & AMERICAS
G – GEOGRAPHY, ANTHROPOLOGY, RECREATION
H – SOCIAL SCIENCE
J – POLITICAL SCIENCE
K – LAW
L – EDUCATION
M – MUSIC & BOOKS ON MUSIC
N – FINE ARTS
P – LANGUAGE & LITERATURE
Q – SCIENCE
R – MEDICINE
S – AGRICULTURE
T – TECHNOLOGY
U – MILITARY SCIENCE
V – NAVAL SCIENCE
Z – BIBLIOGRAPHY, LIBRARY SCIENCE & INFORMATION RESOURCES
These twenty-one broad subject areas are further divided into more specific subject areas by adding one or two additional letters as well as some numbers. For a more detailed breakdown of any subject, go to the Library of Congress web page.
So, How Do I Find a Book on the Shelf?
Try this exercise, which was put together by the librarians at Kent State University, to see if you have figured out the Library of Congress system!
Finding Books on Your Topic 
Once you have chosen a topic and done your background research you will be ready to conduct more comprehensive research using books.
Use the Library Catalog to find books available in the Cerritos College Library. Books can provide a broad overview of a topic or in-depth information. You can search for books by author, title, subject, or keyword.
Use the following terms to search by SUBJECT for books on your topic:
|
UNITED STATES HISTORY 20TH CENTURY |
VIETNAM WAR 1961-1975 |
|
TWENTIETH CENTURY |
Nineteen SEVENTIES |
|
Nineteen FIFTIES |
Nineteen sixties |
|
Cold War |
POPULAR CULTURE UNITED STATES HISTORY 20TH CENTURY |
|
CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS 1962 |
POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS UNITED STATES |
|
EMIGRATION AND IMMIGRATION HISTORY UNITED STATES |
ENVIRONMENTALISM UNITED STATES |
|
PEACE MOVEMENTS UNITED STATES HISTORY 20TH CENTURY |
Intelligence service United States History 20th century |
|
Espionage, Soviet United States |
POLLUTION UNITED STATES |
|
Feminism United States History 20th century |
Social change United States History 20th century |
|
WOMEN UNITED STATES |
UNITED STATES FOREIGN RELATIONS 20TH CENTURY |
|
KOREAN WAR 1950-1953 |
TELEVISION HISTORY |
|
Labor unions United States History 20th century |
PRESIDENTS UNITED STATES HISTORY 20TH CENTURY |
|
HISTORY MODERN 1945-1989 |
World Politics –1945-1989 |
|
Journalism United States History 20th century |
SEPTEMBER 11 TERRORIST ATTACKS 2001 |
In addition to using the subject headings above, you can try an "All Fields" search on an term you want to try: Stonewall, Iran Contra, poll tax. Once you find a book you like, look at the subject headings for that book because they might help you find other good books.