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How to Find an Item

The easiest way to find items is through our online catalog. The catalog will let you search for items, and will tell you where the item is and its call number.

There is a search box on every page of our website that lets you start a search in the catalog. You can start searching by author, by title, by subject, or by keyword. (If you're not sure exactly what you're looking for, try searching by keyword: this will search all the information about items at the same time.)

You can always ask a librarian to help you--in person, over the phone, or online.

How can I find CDs, LPs or cassettes in the catalog?
How can I find videos and DVDs in the catalog?

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Call Numbers

The library's collection numbers more than three million books and other print materials plus more than 150,000 nonprint items and 3,000 periodical subscriptions. Most of these items have a call number. If you know the call number for an item, you can figure out exactly where to find it, or you can have a librarian find it for you.

Most items added to the collection since 1968 are organized by Library of Congress call numbers, which begin with letters (e.g. QL430.3.N42 W46 1988).

Many federal government documents are organized by SUDOCS (Superintendant of Documents) numbers (e.g. Y 4.ED 8/1:103-10). Most older materials are organized by Dewey Decimal call numbers, which begin with numbers (e.g. 628.3 C54).

Works of fiction are generally not given a call number, but are arranged by the author's last name. In addition, Minnesota state and Minneapolis city government documents may be organized by call numbers beginning MIN and MLS respectively.

You may also encounter older materials with call numbers beginning with letters (e.g. Lh 893b1). These items are organized using a system devised by Herbert Putnam, the first Director of the Minneapolis Public Library. These call numbers will begin Ag, Agc, L-Lz, Y, or Za-Zq and are all held at the Central Library

Can't Find It? We Can Help

Feel free to ask us for help finding items, in person, over the phone, live online, or by e-mail.

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