Libraries
The Princeton University Library is not a single building but a system composed of many libraries and hundreds of collections, and they can be scary at first. The largest is Firestone Library, and it could be the setting for a Stephen King novel. Finding a book you want can be quite an experience, since it could be in any of the system's libraries. And sometimes you may feel that the library system has every book in the world except the one you want. Still, the libraries here are incredible, and once you get proficient at using them, your academic life will be much easier.
Finding a Book's Call Number
In every library on campus there are computer terminals that serve as gateways to the library's online resources. The catalog can be searched from any location on campus, including offices and dorms.
Once you've found the call number of your book, write it down. The posters on the walls of all the libraries have lists and diagrams that show where each section is. Match the first few numbers or letters of the call number of your book to figure out in which library (or part of a library) the book is located. If the online catalog indicates that the book you want is already checked out to someone else, try using the library's advanced book-getting methods: Borrow Direct (gets books delivered from other university libraries), InterLibrary Loan or Item Recall (which should be reserved for emergencies . . . it's kind of rude, and, believe it or not, Borrow Direct is usually faster).
Firestone Stacks
When looking for a book in Firestone, one can feel like a rat trapped in a maze searching for a piece of cheese. The simple system you used in high school -- wandering around the library until you found a book that looked interesting -- does not work here. There are around 6 million books in the library system; at Firestone, they are located on the third floor and the A, B and C below-ground levels, and many of them are so esoteric it's almost comical. For example, there are approximately 110 books about vampires scattered about the stacks. If you want to have a prayer of finding your book, you need to know where to look before you head down into the bowels of Firestone.
Fortunately, your call number will not only give you a floor letter, it will also give you a grid number. Every floor in Firestone has a map, and the map grid is labeled with numbers and letters. These grid numbers are also posted above the stacks themselves so that you can orient yourself. Similar books are grouped together, so always peruse the surrounding shelves when researching.
Firestone Reserve Room
The Reserve Room will come to be one of your best friends at Princeton, especially if you’re taking classes that require you to purchase 15 books (these classes do exist). The course books for pretty much every class at Princeton are kept here, and you can take them out for three-hour or 24-hour periods. The library's most popular periodicals are also kept in the Reserve Room (including, possibly, your hometown newspaper).
Online Resources
Many of the library's resources are available from the comfort of your own computer terminal. In addition to its catalog, the library links you to indexes, reference tools, electronic books, electronic journals, numeric data, and digital maps and images, which makes doing research from your room a real possibility. Three popular sources, that cover many subjects, are Ebsco Academic Search Premier, J-Stor and Proquest Direct. These databases provide the complete text of most of the articles they index, plus abstracts for additional newspaper and periodical articles.
