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Finding information

How to find information for your assessments, and how to get the most out of your sources once you've found them.

Print books

What you can learn from this page:

  • Find books using SEARCH.
  • Understand how Dewey can help you find books on the shelf.

Finding books (print only) using SEARCH

  1. Select ‘Sign in for complete results’ and sign in using your UOW username and password. 
  2. Enter your keywords or title (e.g. romanticism).
  3. Under 'Availability' select 'Held by library'. 
  4. Refine your results with other filters such as 'Publication Date', 'Subject' or 'Library' if you need to.

Finding books on the shelves using Dewey

The Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) system uses call numbers to help organise books by subject and help you find them on the shelves.

When you use SEARCH to find books, look for the call number and write it down (or search on your phone and take that with you).

Some tips for using Dewey to find books:

  • Period (.) and slashes (/) separate the different parts of the call number, e.g. 378.170281/22. 
  • Use the labels on the bookshelves to find 378.170281 (remember, 378.17 comes before it and 378.171 comes after).
  • Look at the sequence of books at 378.170281 to find 378.170281/22.
  • The number after the slash is the approximate location of the book on the shelf.
  • Check that you have the correct edition.

If you can't find the book you're looking for, check if there is another copy or ebook version. If you think it's lost, let us know.

If you're at Wollongong Campus Library, you'll find our main book collection on Level 1. Other collections, such as Law, Leisure Reading, and a selection of newly purchased books can be found on the Ground Floor.

See a floor plan of Wollongong Campus Library, or read a transcript walkthrough of our floor plan.

UOW Library Level One floor plan

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