BGSU University Libraries News

Last week, the Harvard Business Review blog published a post about why readers make good leaders! Reading can “improve intelligence and lead to innovation and insight,” its author, John Coleman, wrote. It can also make you a better communicator, increase empathy, and reduce stress – all of which can lead to success in life!

Students and faculty often ask how to browse for leisure reading at Jerome Library. It can be difficult to “find something to read” because we don’t have sections for fiction or biography – instead, all our books – fiction and nonfiction, old and new – are arranged according to the Library of Congress (LC) classification system.

In LC, literature is arranged by country of origin. Therefore, browsing certain ranges of call numbers will help you find fiction written by authors from different countries and regions of the world. Here’s a breakdown, including the shelf numbers on the first floor where you will find each group of call numbers.

• United States – PS 3550-3626 (ranges 149-154)
• British – PR 6050-6126 (range 144)
• Canadian – PR 9198.2-9199.4 (range 144)
• French – PQ 2660-3807 (range 136)
• German – PT 2660-3807 (range 155)
• Spanish – PQ 6650-7011 (range 137)

For more non-English classifications, see this guide from George Mason University.

Another way to look for fiction is to go to the advanced search in our catalog and use “fiction” as a subject. A search for fiction and India will bring up books about India; a search for fiction and police will bring up crime and detective fiction; a search for fiction and vampires will bring up the Twilight series! Choose a title, then click on the “Reviews & More” button in the full record to figure out if the book is something you want to read.

The books you will find on the first and second floor (the second floor houses our Curriculum Resource Center, which has a fine collection of young adult novels) can be checked out, but books in the Popular Culture Library are noncirculating, so request them from OhioLINK or SearchOhio if you want to check them out. You can also borrow from the Wood County Public Library on Main Street in downtown BG. Take a look at our guide on finding fiction for more information.

Finally, you may want to check out our leisure reading guides, which contain lists of books on particular subjects or themes.