Ko te kai rapu, ko ia te kite = he who seeks will find (Mâori proverb)
The Library Catalogue (or opac) is the gateway to the library resources including books, theses, multimedia and print serial titles, which can be used in conjunction with the external Databases . You can access the Library catalogue from anywhere on campus and remotely from home through the Library webpage.
Login to the Library catalogue in the upper right-hand corner to access the list of titles issued, to renew or reserve items. Your Witt email address (found on the back of your ID card) and password are used to login.
Please explore the catalogue, and remember that you can ask the Library staff for help.
All of the Library’s resources are organised according to the Dewey decimal system (except for the Fiction, which are shelved by their author's surname).
The Dewey system keeps all books on the same topic together.
The system is made up of ten main classes or categories:
Each of these is divided into ten secondary classes or subcategories, e.g. the 600s include:
Each of these is further divided, e.g. the 610s include:
Then they are further divided using decimal fractions, e.g.
A decimal fraction is read from left to right, with each number counting towards the order in which books are shelved, so that books with the following numbers would be shelved in this order:
The most common mistake is to ignore a zero. Don’t; every part of the number counts.
The number is followed by three letters - usually the first three letters of the author's surname. These are also shelved in alphabetical order, e.g.
This is called the classification number or call number.
You will find the classification number at the bottom of the Library Catalogue record. Write it down, and look for this classification number on the shelves.
You will also need the classification number when you ask for a Course Reserve.
If you need more help in finding resources, ask the librarian at the Information Desk.