Lahiri - The Namesake : Find Books

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!

To browse the library shelves for books on literary criticism use the general call numbers below. 

P  -  Philology. Linguistics

PA -  Greek and Latin language and literature (including medieval)

PC -  Romanic languages (French, Italian, Spanish and others)

PE -  English language (including Old English, Modern English and slang)

PJ  - Oriental languages and literatures (including Egyptology, Hebrew and Arabic)

PL -  Languages and literatures of Eastern Asia, Africa, and Oceana

PN - General literature (including poetry, drama, broadcasting, and prose fiction)

PQ - French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese literature (including juvenile and folk literature)

PR - English literature (including criticism, literary biography, poetry, prose, and drama)

PS - American literature (including criticism, literary biography, poetry, prose, and drama)

PT - German, Dutch, Danish, Flemish, Afrikaans, Scandinavian, Old Norse, Old and Modern Icelandic and Old and Modern Norwegian, Faroese, and Swedish literatures

Finding Books on Your Topic 

Use the boxes below to see online and print resources about the author and the novel. If you need more, go to the Library Catalog to find additional books available in the Cerritos College Library. You can search for books by author, title, subject, or keyword.

HINT: To find books written about an author search by Subject, to find a book written by an author search by Author. Always type the last name first, e.g. Hemingway, Ernest.

You can also use some of the broad subject headings below to help you find literary criticism books in the library:

• Children of immigrants -- Fiction.
• Assimilation (Sociology) -- Fiction.
• Alienation (Social psychology) -- Fiction.
• Cultural identity.
• Literature Modern History and criticism 

Here are some of the library's online resources which can help you get biographical and critical information.

You should search these sources either by the name of the author or the name of the work.

Below are some books that are located in the library's Reference area.  In these books you will find biographical and historical information on the AUTHOR.

Although they cannot be checked out, students are able to photocopy pages.

Below are some books that are located in the library's Reference area.  In these books you will find plot overviews, character studies, and critical information on the author's WORK.

Although they cannot be checked out, students are able to photocopy pages.