Reference Resources

General and subject encyclopedias offer critical information and search terms for research. Print encyclopedias are located in the Library.

A-Z List of Encyclopedia & Dictionaries
Searches electronic resources. Be sure to check for print resources too!

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Call us at 410-337-6075

Music books, scores, CDs and DVDs are available on stack level 3 of the library. The Discovery search box (below), retrieves materials in many formats. For those available physically in the library, a call number displays. For those available electronically a View eBook or View full text link is available.

Find Books, Music Scores, CDs, DVDs, and more

To find a book in the library you first need the call number, which you can find online when you look up the book in WorldCat Discovery. Make sure you're looking at something actually available at Goucher!

Find the Call Number Online

Books are arranged by subject - everything about Queen Elizabeth will be in one section, everything about molecular biology will be in another section, everything about Germany's political system will be in another. Sometimes it's a good idea to just go to the particular section you need and look around on the shelves. We use the Dewey Decimal System. See below for a breakdown of different topics, and determine what section you need.

000 General Knowledge. Library Stacks Level 1
Computers and the Internet, UFOs and Unexplained Mysteries, Almanacs, Encyclopedias, Libraries, Museums, Newspapers, World Records.
Library Stacks Level 1
100 Psychology and Philosophy. Library Stacks Level 1
Death & Dying, Ethics, Emotions and Feelings, Logic, Making Friends, Optical Illusions, Superstitions.
200 Religions and Mythology. Library Stacks Level 1
Amish, Bible Stories, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Quakers, and other world religions; Greek, Roman, and other myths.
300 Social Sciences and Folklore. Library Stacks Levels 1 and 2
Careers, Customs, Environment, Families, Folktales, Government, Manners, Money, Recycling, Transportation.
400 Languages and Grammar. Library Stacks Level 2
Dictionaries, English grammar, Sign Language, Arabic, Spanish and other languages from around the world.
$Cover Art$ 500 Math and Science. Library Stacks Level 2
Animals, Biology, Chemistry, Dinosaurs, Fish, Fossils, Geology, Insects, Physics, Planets, Plants, Stars, Weather.
600 Medicine and Technology. Library Stacks Level 2
Cookbooks, Engineering, Farming, Health, Human Body, Inventions, Manufacturing, Pets, Nutrition, Robots and Space Science.
700 Arts and Recreation. Library Stacks Levels 2 and 3
Architecture, Crafts, Drawing, Games, Jokes, Movies, Music, Puppets, Songbooks, Sports.
800 Literature. Library Stacks Levels 3 and 4
Children's Literature Anthologies, Plays, Poetry, Shakespeare, Writing Process.
900 Geography and History. Library Stacks Level 4
Ancient World, Biographies, Countries, Native Americans, States, Travel, Wars.

We use one of the standard systems for organizing materials in a library, the Dewey Decimal System. This system helps us keep materials organized in a way that you can locate them easily. However, the system is flawed both in its organization and its historical context.

For more information on the history of the system, its creator, and controversies see our Anti-Oppression guide.