Books

Books are good for background reading, enabling deeper knowledge of a topic, and learning about theories or methods. There are two main types of academic book, which can be available in print or electronically: 

• Textbooks – good for gaining an understanding of a new topic
• Monographs – collections of data or detailed information, discussion, and explanation of research 

There are a number of ways to find print and electronic books for your subject, including NUsearch [UK, China, Malaysia], your one-stop shop for searching our collections. 

Explore our UK subject guides to help you find books related to your subject area:

Please also see our China Subject Resources and Malaysia eResources Guides.

Each book in the library has a shelf location, known as a classmark, consisting of a series of letters and numbers.

The classmark is displayed on the spine of a book and allows all titles on a similar subject to be shelved together.

How do I find the classmark for my book?

You can find the classmark for your book on NUsearch under 'Find in library' on the book's record page.

How do I find a book in the library by using its classmark?

• Books on the library shelves are arranged alpha-numerically by classmark.
• Each bay of shelving will tell you which classmark range is located in that bay. 
• The format of classmarks can vary between different libraries and campuses. 

Interpreting a classmark

The table below shows a breakdown of how the classmark for “Urban habitats by C. P. Wheater” (QH 541.5.C6 WHE) is constructed: 

Watch: What is a classmark?

Wherever possible, the library buys copies of your recommended reading in electronic format.

With most ebooks you can:

• access them at any time, both on and off campus
• read them online and on mobile devices
• access them at the same time as others
• perform keyword searches and make electronic notes

Find ebooks on your reading lists, or via NUsearch.

Find out more (UK / China / Malaysia)