The Unlikeliest Obvious Place a Book can Hide

Common locations where books like to hide where they should be in the Stacks are in the Reference and Reserves collections.  Therefore, it is always a good idea to search for books in these locations as well as the BBT location house on the 2^nd floor of the Main/Older side of the building, the Jewish Studies room on the 9^th floor.  It is also important to search the Holds shelves (especially if it could be a 3 day hold), the shelf where books headed to Preservation Services are, and the shelf designated for books needing to go to Cataloging.  Finally, make sure you look on the billing shelf and in Jackie’s office as well because she keeps books patrons have damaged so they can come and review them with her if desired.

Books that are encyclopedias, dictionaries, or other reference guides can end up in Reference especially when the used to be a part of that collection and then weeded to the stacks.  Instead of printing a new label, we usually black out the Ref at the top of the call number and that can fade over time causing it to be confused.  However, books that have never been part of the Reference collection can still end up there too.  A recent search I found in Reference was Modern Portuguese: A Reference Grammar by Mario Perini PC544 .P47 2002 (this book has never been in the Reference collection). 

Books that end up in Reserves usually are textbook type or oddly business related books.  One I found recently in Reserves was Business and Professional Communication in the Global Workplace by H. Lloyd Goodall HF5718 G66 2010.  However, it is important to note most of the time books found on this shelf are still checked out to the returning patron.

Therefore, it is always important to check these locations for each search because you never know where that book will be found!

Happy Searching!