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Physics

Books

The Library offers many books and eBooks to supplement your textbooks and support your research. To search for books and eBooks, you will primarily use the library catalog.

Finding Books

Library Catalog from Lawrence W. Tyree Library on Vimeo.

Hello! In this video tutorial, we will explore how to use the library catalog to find items in the collection of the Lawrence W. Tyree Library.

Located on the Northwest Campus, the Lawrence W. Tyree Library at Santa Fe College has many books, videos, and audio material available for you to borrow for free. You will use the library catalog to look for physical items held in the library, as well as online resources like eBooks and streaming videos.

First, select the Library link on the Santa Fe College website to access the library website.

On the library website, click the Catalog button.

In the library catalog, you can search for a title, author, or topic. The default is a Keyword search, which looks for your terms anywhere in the library catalog. The keyword search returns the most results, but the results might not exactly match what you're looking for.

Click the Keyword option to change how you search. You can limit your search terms to the Title or Author of an item. If you know the Library of Congress subject heading for your topic, choose Subject. Subjects are like hashtags for an item and lead to more relevant results, but you do need to know the correct terms.

Let's search for a topic. If you are looking for items related to a topic, but don't know the subject heading, use the default keyword search. This search is for zombies.

All results matching your search appear. You can limit your results using the options under Filter your results. For instance, you may wish to limit to a specific type of format, like a print book, or only show results that are available on the shelf.

All search results have a header indicating the format of the item. Items that can be read or watched online have an Available Online link. Physical items include information about the collection and call number. Click the title of an item to learn more.

This is the full record of an item, in this case, a book. The record gives you more information about the book, as well as how to find it.

You can scroll down to the Details section to learn more about the item. Some records include a summary or a table of contents, which can help you decide if the item is what you are looking for.

You should also look at the Subjects. These are terms you can use to find more items that match what you are looking for.

Once you identify possible subjects, you can use those terms in a subject search within the library catalog. Subject searches will have fewer results than a keyword search but should more closely match what you are looking for.

The Availability section of the record includes information about how to find the item. The green Available text means it is on the shelf. This book is in the Circulating Collection, where you will find most of the books in the Tyree Library.

All items in the Library are arranged by call number. A call number is an address for the item and helps you find it in the Library. Most collections in the Tyree Library use the Library of Congress Classification system and are a combination of letters and numbers. Copy the full call number, including the year.

Finally, click the Locate button to see a map of where you will find the item in the Library. This identifies which of the Library's three floors you should go to, as well as the general area within the floor. This book is on the third floor.

Each aisle includes a range of call numbers to help you locate your item. Use the call number ranges on each shelf to find the correct aisle.

Then, use the call number to locate the item on the shelf. Call numbers are organized first by the initial letters, then the numbers, and then the next letters. Letters are ordered alphabetically. Numbers are ordered from smallest to largest.

Bring the item to the first floor Circulation Desk to borrow (or "check out"). You will need your Santa Fe College ID card or another form of photo ID.

There are other collections and other types of materials in the library, such as the Media Collection on the second floor and the Vinyl Collection on the first floor. Use the Locate button and call numbers, just like with books, to find these items.

Items in the Reference Collection are not available to borrow and do not leave the Library, but you may use them in the building.

Online resources in the library catalog, such as streaming videos and eBooks, have an Available Online link. Click that link and log in, if prompted, to view the full text or watch the video.

You may see the items you have borrowed by clicking Sign in in the upper right corner of the library catalog.

Choose the Office 365 option and then sign in with your Office 365 account.

Click your name, and then and choose My Loans.

On this screen, you can see which items you have borrowed and when they are due back to the Library. If you need the items for a longer period of time, you may request to renew the items on your account.

Use the Ask Us! button in the library catalog to ask for help from a librarian through online chat. Please ask us if you have any questions!

This concludes the video tutorial on using the library catalog. If you have any questions, please contact a librarian:

352-395-5409
reference@sfcollege.edu
Building Y, NW Campus
sfcollege.edu/library

eBooks from Lawrence W. Tyree Library on Vimeo.

Hello! In this video tutorial, we will explore how to use the library catalog to find and read eBooks held by the Lawrence W. Tyree Library at Santa Fe College.

eBooks are books where the full text is available entirely online. There are two ways to search exclusively for eBooks. For the quickest method, use the catalog search box on the Library's website. Click the eBooks tab and then type in a title, author, or topic. All results will be eBooks.

Alternatively, you can use the full library catalog. Click the Catalog button on the library website.

To limit your search in the library catalog to only eBooks, click the Library Catalog drop-down box and change it to eBooks.

Now, you can type in what you are looking for. To limit your search, you can change the Keyword option to title, author, or subject.

In this example, let’s look for eBooks written by Jane Austen. Click the Keyword option to change it to Author and type in Jane Austen.

The results now show all matching eBooks in the library collection. Each result should have a green Available Online link. Click the title of a result to view more information.

The link to access the full text is available in the View Online area. You may also scroll down to the Details area to learn more about the eBook.

Once you click the full-text link, you may be prompted to sign in using your Office 365 account. You might not see this screen if you are logged in elsewhere to Canvas or your Office 365 email.

Next, a new window or tab opens with the eBook's details. The Library subscribes to several eBook providers, so you may see different interfaces. This is the ProQuest Ebook Central database.

You can read the eBook by selecting Read Online or by using the Table of Contents to jump to a chapter or section.

To navigate the eBook, use the arrows in the top right corner or simply scroll through the book. You can also enter a specific page number where the page is displayed or use the linked Table of Contents. To search within the full text of the eBook, enter your search terms into the search box.

Most eBooks can also be downloaded for a specific amount of time but will require the installation of special software. Click the Download Book option and then follow the prompts. View the Downloading eBooks tutorial for more detailed information.

This concludes the video tutorial on finding and reading eBooks. If you have any questions, please contact a librarian.

352-395-5409
reference@sfcollege.edu
Building Y, NW Campus
sfcollege.edu/library

Try these subject headings in the library catalog:

These are only a select sample of subject headings in the area of physics. For more specific topics, try combining keywords in the Advanced Search option in the library catalog. When you find a result you like, click on the title to view the full record. There you will find other subject headings to explore.

The Library organizes its collection the using the Library of Congress Classification System. In other words, we use call numbers that have specific letters and numbers to represent subject areas. This means that if you look at a book on the shelf, you are likely to find similar books around it.

If you choose to browse the Library's physics books, the following call numbers may be helpful to you.

Call Number Area
Topic
General physics
Atomic physics
Acoustics; Sound
Thermodynamics
Optics; Light
Radiation physics (General)
Electricity and magnetism
Nuclear and particle physics
Geophysics; Cosmic physics

Reference books are useful for getting an overview of a topic or accessing quick facts. The Library's Reference Collection is located on the west end of the second floor. These books are available for in-library use only, but scanners and photocopiers are available on the second floor.

If you need access to information in one of these books from a Santa Fe College Center, please call the Reference Desk for assistance: 352-395-5409.


The following books provide information to help you write and present scientific research. If you're working on a poster presentation, we also have a separate Research Posters guide.

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