Finding books
Reading lists
When you start your course you will usually be given lists of recommended books by your lecturers. You just need to check the Unicorn catalogue to find out if they are in the Library. If there are any books on your reading lists that aren't in the Library please let us know!
Help
Numbers of copies
Although it is not Library practice to purchase texts for each student, we recommend that your tutors request the Library to buy copies as follows:
- at least one copy for the Course Collection (6-hour loan or non-loan) for course textbooks your tutor recommends you buy yourself
- about one copy per 10 students for ‘essential’ reading (one or more of which might be made 6-hour or 7-day loan)
- about one copy per 20 students for ‘recommended’ reading
- one copy of ‘background’ reading
However, if you feel there is an unfulfilled need, please contact your subject liaison librarian directly. Where there are large numbers of students taking a module, some schools reduce the pressure on reading list material by providing alternative reading, rather than insisting on all students reading the same titles.
Finding books on a topic using Unicorn
Later on in your studies you will be asked to find some information on a topic for your own essays or seminar presentations. You can search the Unicorn catalogue to find some useful books held in the Library.
Help
Other ways of finding books on a topic
If your keyword search on Unicorn fails to find any books, or if you are researching for a PhD and need to find everything published on your topic, try the following methods to find references to books on your topic.
Look at lists of references
- encyclopedias - there are often lists of references at the end of encyclopedia entries - consult your Subject help for a list of useful titles
- books - look at the further reading in books you have already
- journal articles - look at the list of references at the end of any relevant journal articles, these often include books. Review articles are especially useful as they summarise research in a specific field - these are usually published in journals titled “Annual review of…” “Reviews in…”
Search databases
Many of our databases give references to books:
- Find databases covering your subject
- OASIS - covers current publications and also allows you to search for out-of-print items
- WorldCat - this database is a vast union catalogue containing references to millions of publications held in libraries across the world
How do I get hold of books not held at Reading?
If you find details of a book not held in our Library we can usually get it for you from another library, or you may be able to visit another library which has a copy. For more information see Beyond UoR.
Back to Types of publication