To find books in the library you must use the Library Catalogue (ALEPH). To access ALEPH, hover the mouse over Search and Find on the UCT Library Website and click on "Catalogue (ALEPH)". The catalogue will tell you what books we have in your subject area, and the shelf-numbers where you will find those books.
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Here are some useful shelf-numbers for the environmental and geographical sciences: |
| Shelf-number | Subject |
| 307.76 | Urban communities |
| 333.7 | Natural resources |
| 333.714 | Environmental impact studies |
| 363.7 | Environmental problems |
| 551.5 | Meteorology |
| 551.6 | Climatology |
| 577 | Ecology |
| 577.14 | Environmental chemistry |
| 910 | Geography |
Books on the shelves are arranged in subject order according to the Dewey Decimal System. You will need to check the library catalogue (ALEPH) to find the shelf number of the book you are looking for.
For more details on how to use the Library Catalogue go to the ALEPH Guide.
Sometimes you will find prefixes in front of the shelf numbers. These prefixes will tell you in which part of the library the book can be found. The Book Location Chart will help you find the physical locations of books in UCT Libraries.
Click here for a tutorials on:
If you cannot find a book at UCT Libraries first search SACat(SABINET) to find out whether the book is available at any other Southern African libraries.
SACat (SABINET) is the joint catalogue of all major libraries in Southern Africa. The database gives details of books, journals and audiovisual material held in each library.
Once you have found that the book is available at another library in Southern Africa, you can request it via UCT Libraries Interlibrary Loans Department. The request can be done online once you have registered with the Interlibrary Loans Department. Alternatively, you can visit the Department in the library and make the request in person. You will then be notified by e-mail when the book arrives in the library.
Find out more about the Interlibrary Loans service.