Ramon S. Tirona Memorial Library - Use of Card Catalog

The PWU Main Library has a divided catalog, which is found in the Circulation room. Each cabinet consist of 60 trays and is composed of cards arranged by author and title in one alphabet and the subject cards separated and arranged alphabetically.

To know whether a book is available in any of the PWU Libraries, one may check the card under the author, title or subject of the book.

A reader gets hold of an author card when he checks the book under the author, a title card when he checks under the title; and a subject card, when he checks under the subject card. For example: To know whether the library has a copy of Adolescent and Youth by Dorothy Dodgers, one may check any of the following cards:

By observing the sample cards, you will note that information about a book will be found in the author and subject cards. For a more detailed description of a book, it is suggested that one should check either the author of the book, if known, or the subject to which the book relates

The following is a list of items of information found in a catalog card. The number of each item corresponds to the one indicated in the sample cards:

1. Call number
2. Author
3. Title
4. Place of Publication
5. Publisher
6. Date of Publication
7. Number of Pages
8. Illustration
9. Size
10. Notes
11. International Standard Book Number
12. Title
13. Subject heading (typed in capital letters)

It will be noted, especially by those undertaking research that in looking for books on a given topic or subject, the subject card becomes the most useful of the three. It is, therefore, important that you should be able to distinguish a subject card from that of a title or an author card. The PWU divided catalog uses capital letters to indicate the subject headings for its subject cards. Thus, for books about the life of Dr. Jose Rizal, one should check the cards with RIZAL Y ALONZO, JOSE in capital letters, which are filed as subject cards. For books written by Rizal among which are the "Noli Me Tangere" and "El Filibusterismo", check the author and title cards.

After knowing that a book is recorded in the divided catalog either under its author, title or subject, the next problem is where to find the book. The call number 1 serves as the key.

Knowing that books are arranged on the shelves from top to bottom, left to right, in numerical order from 000-900, a book then with 959.9 as its call number will be among the 900's group F26r.

Similarly, one with 370 as its call number will be among the 300's. 370 C2ls is the class no. which identifies the subject of the book; C21 is the author number; and s is the work mark, which is the first letter of the title of the book.