Geosciences Subject Guide

Finding Books

 

3 resources available
restricted - Restricted to WMU users open access - Open Access

WestCat/Library Catalog open access WestCat is one of the historic names for WMU's official online library catalog. This catalog is used to identify books (including online books), government documents, journals, videos, sound recordings, slides and other items that the University Libraries has in its collections. WestCat can be searched by title, author, subject heading, keyword, call number, and more.

Librarian's Comment: Call numbers of WMU's Government Monograph collection 1976 - current are included in our WestCat catalog. Most government documents are located in the government documents area on Second Floor of Waldo Library. They are arranged by a SuDocs call number. Ask for help at the Government Documents service point.

Note: Sometimes each issue of a series can be found by its individual title (like a book), in other cases issues are catalogued only by the series title (e.g. US Geological Survey Bulletin). If searching by the title of a specific issue is unproductive, try searching by the series title. Before 1976, material in federal documents was indexed only in print indexes, the most important one being the Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications (Z1223 .A18 Documents, Ref). From 1976 forward the material in the federal documents collection is also indexed in the GPO Monthly Catalog . Consult with government docs. and maps librarian Mike Mcdonnell, or Geosciences liaison Barbara Cockrell for help locating materials.

Call Numbers and Subject Headings
Most material in WMU Libraries is organized by the Library of Congress system. The following call letters represent the basic organizational structure for this discipline. For various reasons material may be assigned a call number that places it in an unexpected location. Use WestCat when searching for specific books and journals.

Librarian's Comment:
QE 1-350 General Geology
QE 71-80 U.S. Surveys
QE 78 Great Lakes region
QE 351-399 Mineralogy
QE 420-499 Petrology
QE 500-625 Dynamic and Structural Geology
QE 521-545 Earthquakes and Volcanoes
QE 640-699 Stratigraphy
QE 799-996 Paleontology
GB Physical Geography (including Geomorphology)
GB 651-2998 Hydrology (including groundwater, rivers, lakes)
GC Oceanography

Note that some geosciences materials (e.g. some of the US Geological Survey publications) have Government Document catalog numbers and they are housed in the Government Documents and Maps Department.

Catalogs of Other LibrariesThe library catalogs of many colleges, universities and local libraries can be searched online. They may be useful in finding materials our Libraries don't own. You may then decide to request these materials through interlibrary loan.

Librarian's Comment: Includes links to the library catalogs of Michigan State University, University of Michigan and Notre Dame.

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