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Home  »   Collections  »  Finding Books

All the EFL's books are catalogued on SOLO, Oxford Libraries’ catalogue, which can be accessed from any PC in all the University's libraries. Guides to using and searching SOLO may be found in the library. We also offer introductory sessions on how to search SOLO; see the library noticeboard and our information skills web pages for more details. The library's old card catalogue is still available, but has not been updated since 1989.

The following online guides to SOLO are available:

• SOLO: Search Oxford Libraries Online
  
• Brief guide to SOLO (PDF)

In the EFL, most of our books are shelved according to an in-house classification scheme (see also the note at the bottom of this page). Broadly speaking, each letter of the alphabet represents a chronological period and authors are arranged alphabetically within each period. The author's works are shelved first, followed by criticism. Books in the B section of the library cover literature in general, and the arrangement of the section is used as a template for the chronological sections which follow. For example, general books on the novel are shelved at B5.10, while books on the 18th century novel are shelved at L5.10 (L is the section for 18th century literature).

e.g. Eagleton/The English novel B5.10 EAG
Backscheider / A companion to the eighteenth century English novel and culture L5.10 BAC

Defoe / Moll Flanders L31.1 [Mol]
Richetti / Daniel Defoe L31.9 RIC

NB The classification scheme is not decimal ; the numbers following the point are in a simple numerical sequence. For example, B2.8 shelves before B2.30.

The scheme and a list of useful numbers follows:		Other useful shelfmarks:
A  Reference Works AW  Dictionaries B  Literature in general C  Language & Linguistics CJ  Old Icelandic D  Scottish Literature E  Old English F  Middle English G  1400-1550 H  1550-1600	JK  1600-1700 L  1700-1790 M  1790-1830 N  1830-1880 P  1880- R  American Literature S  Other Literatures in English U  Book Production & Bibliography V  Tolkien's Celtic Library XYZ  Pre-1850 & Rare Books	B2.30  Feminist literary criticism B5.10  The novel B6.7  Critical theory B8.23  Classics B10  The Bible B11  Anthologies

A plan of the library and a quick guide to the shelfmarks of major authors are situated on the main library noticeboard.

Shelfmarks A to H are found on the main floor of the library; J to U are located in the Gallery; V, X, Y & Z are kept in the Rare Book Room - please ask at the Issue Desk for details of how to order.

Books with the shelfmark CJ (Old Icelandic) are kept in the Turville-Petre Room - please ask at the Issue Desk for access.

Please note that books with shelfmarks V, X, Y, Z & CJ are not available after 5pm or on Saturdays.

IMPORTANT NOTE: In preparation for our move to the new Humanities Library, the EFL will be gradually changing its classification scheme. For further information and advice on where to find material classified under the Library of Congress Classification scheme, please see our Reclassification Project web page.