(for books based on real events or people)

Please note the copyright year (which can typically found behind the title page in the beginning of the book) of the book. Language, statistics, and they way society interprets history are just a few details that can change over the span of a few years, so make sure to always fact check your information.

Unfortunatley there is no way to browse the non-fiction collection digitally. However below is a guide that can help you understand the dewey decimal system.

The dewey decimal system is the traditional way to catalogue a library collection. The numbers represent the topic. The dewey decimal can help put books of similar topics together similarly to the way we separate fiction by genres to keep the library organized. 

(for books based on real events or people)

Please note the copyright year (which can typically found behind the title page in the beginning of the book) of the book. Language, statistics, and they way society interprets history are just a few details that can change over the span of a few years, so make sure to always fact check your information.

Once in Destiny you can search for a nonfiction book by the author's name and/or the title. 

Type in the author or book you are looking for 

In this example I am searching for a book by James Joyce

You should see a list of copies within VCHS library that are related to your search

In this example you can see the books by and about James Joyce 

On the far right, you can see if the books are available

To find the book in the library, you need to know the call number.

If I am looking for this book, Dubliner, I need to look for call #: 808.8 JOY

The nonfiction is organized by the dewey decimal system 

So first,  find where the 800s are located then look for 808.8. It should be in numerical order (excluding anything on or after the 100th place)

Then it is ordered alphabetically by authors last name. In this example it is JOY

You can use the following method to digitally browse through a fictional collection of books. Looking for a horror book? Or a romance? Use the method below to guide you:

Following the image below,  you will need to change from Basic search to Copy Category

The copy categories reflect how the fiction section is organized. It is organized by genre 

In the image below, you will also see what genres VCHS library has and how many books belong to said genre

After clicking VIEW  next to the genre that interests you, you can see a list of books that belong to that copy category

In the example below I choose to View Fiction: Fantasy

You can organize this list by the drop down button next to SORT BY (reference the image below)

Sorting the list by CALL NUMBER gives you an exact reflection of how the books look on the shelf

Compare the list in the image below to image of the books on the shelf. 

Remember FIC stands for FICTION / FAN for FANTASY (this will change depending on what genre you are searching in) / XXX are the first three letters of the author's last name

For books outside the realm of reality, with invented and imaginary people, events, and/or settings

You can search for specific book similarly to the nonfiction books, but you will notice that the call number varies significantly from the nonfiction to the fiction. This is because the fiction is organized by genre and, unlike the nonfiction, no numbers are included in the call number or the spine of the book.

Following the image below,  you will need to be in LIBRARY SEARCH (far left) in the BASIC setting (on the right)

In the search bar you can look up an author or the title of the book.

In the example below I want to search for a book written by Leo Tolstoy. Notice you only need one key word.

The list below populated all the books at VCHS associated with the word Tolstoy. 

If I decided I was interested in the book Anna Karenina I would look for the book using the call number. The arrow is pointing towards the call number

Also take notice if the book is available. It will say so on the far right (it is circled red in the example)

The Call number is FIC / DRA / TOL

FIC for Fiction

DRA for Drama

TOL for Tolstoy

Search for the book using that order

First find the FICTION section then the DRAMA section.

The books are always ordered alphabetically by author's last name. Once I find TOL, I will be able to find the book I was looking for. 

Historical Fiction is the only genre in the fiction section that is shelved and organized by a sub-genre

Please reference the chart below to see the different sub-genres within Historical Fiction

Note: Every Historical Fiction book will have a yellow sticker on the spine. Depending on its sub-genre it will have a different code (ex. W.1 or O.1 or H.1)

Similarly to Fiction, to search for books digitally, we should be under Catalog -> Library Search --> Copy category ---> Historical Fiction

Please check the red circles and square in the image below to guide you

Then you will see a list of the historical fiction books. To find the book on the shelf you will need the sub-location (reference the box with the arrows in the example below)

In this example we are looking for The Adventures of Augie March. Since this is a book about the Great Depression, we need to look for the yellow sticker with O.1 (reference the sub-genre chart above (the first image in this tab)) 

The book are organized by the sub-genre code. First are the War Novels W (1-5), then the Major Events O (1-5), then by History and Culture H (1-16)

Below is the example of The Adventures of Augie March on the shelf. Notice that there are other O.1. These are organized alphabetically by author's last name.

Similar to the English fiction, you will need to make sure you are searching the Catalog -> Library search -> Copy Categories

Follow the red circles in the image below. 

Then you need to click View next to Spanish: Fiction 

Follow the Red square in the image below

Once you open the list of Spanish Fiction books you can view the title, author and call number

You will need to click on DETAILS to see how the specific book is categorized and shelved

You need to check if the book has a sub location before you can look for the book on the shelf. This is how we organize the Spanish fiction into genres, similarly to Fiction. 

If it is blank (like the first image below) it is going to be realistic fiction. This book spine will have no sticker. If it says something like the second image "SPA FIC: Magical Realism" then you will need to find the books with the coordinating sticker. 

All books are in order of genre then alphabetical order by author's last name

This chart can help you understand the call number 

It also serves as a visual of what genres we have 

You can find a copy of this poster in the Spanish section

The image above is where the physcial copy of Los Abel, would be located. Notice the call number and the placement of the book. Notice how it does NOT have a genre sticker similarly to the books left and right of it. 

The image below is where the physical copy of La Casa de los Espiritus would be located. The sticker correlates to the Magical Realism sub-genre (note the poster two images above). Note that this book marks the beginning of this section. Everything to the left of it has no sticker because it is a different genre. Every time a new section starts it starts at the beginning of the alphabet. 

Similarly to the Spanish Fiction, you need to make sure you are in Catalog -> Library Search -> Copy Category

You can hit the View button to see the Spanish NonFiction books

We can change the order of how the books are listed. 

Similarly to the NonFiction, the Call Number will reflect the dewey decimal system. The books should be in numerical order. If we have more than one copy of the same number they will then be ordered alphabetically by author's last name.

If we search by Call Number it should reflect the exact order on the shelf