The online catalog provides links to digital materials through links identified as View full text, View eBook, and View now and retrieves Library of Congress call numbers and bibliographic information for physical library materials. See below for a discussion of call numbers. It also identifies materials as Available or Checked Out, Due xx/xx/xx (where the x characters represent the month, day, and year). You can use any computer with an Internet connection to search our catalog through the search tool at the top of every library page or navigating to the advanced catalog page.
Most of the Library's periodical subscriptions and over three quarters of our book holdings are digital in nature. Use our journal search tool if you are looking for a particular journal title. Our catalog searches books, journals, videos, and other materials through a single interface. For more targeted searches and research requiring greater specificity, go to Online Resources.
Just like digital items, you can discover physical ones by using the catalog to search. However, instead of a link, you will be looking for a shelf location. The SU Library uses the Library of Congress Classification System to distinguish subject areas and identify shelf locations. This system uses letters and numbers arranged into a unit termed a "call number." The top line of the call number refers to the broad discipline and normally consists of two letters, though it can be represented by one to three. The second line stands for a subdivision within the discipline and is usually strictly numerical in nature. Generally speaking, the third line refers to the author, and the fourth is the date of publication. Though this describes the standard pattern, there are variations.
| BS | The Bible (broad discipline) |
| 647.2 | Bible - Prophecies (subdivision) |
| .W28 | John Walvoord (author number) |
| 1991 | Date of Publication |