Books are shelved according to Library of Congress Classification. In this system, the library is divided into twenty-one broad subject areas, each of which is assigned one letter of the alphabet.
Try browsing these areas of the library to find books for Historic Preservation research:
When you find a physical book in Quest, write down its call number, and then go to the shelves.
To use call numbers, read them from the top down.
For example, here's how you'd find this book:
If you find an item that belongs to another library, you may request to borrow it through InterLibrary loan (ILL).
To find items owned by other libraries, visit WorldCat
To place an InterLibrary loan request, log in to your free Simpson Library ILL Account using your UMW username and password.
Google Books is a free search tool that lets you search for books that contain a particular word or phrase. It is useful for discovering books that cover obscure topics.
For example, if you are researching Mickey Mantle baseball cards, you could search for Mickey Mantle baseball card.
For most books, Google Books can only show you a short preview of the test (because of copyright). To read an entire book, get it from Simpson Library or from interlibrary loan.