PA: Classical literature

PG: Slavic Literature

PJ: Oriental Literature

PL: East Asian, Oceanic, African Literature

PN: Literature, General Literary History & Collections

PQ: Romance Literature

PR: English Literature

PS: American Literature

PT: Germanic Literature

We arrange every book on the shelves in the library by subject.  Like other academic libraries, we use the Library of Congress Classification System to assign call numbers to our materials so that materials on similar topics are next to each other on the shelves and patrons and staff can easily find what they need. 

You need to know a book's call number in order to get it off the shelf in the library. CSU, Los Angeles has created a guide that provides a useful introduction to the organizational scheme: 

Understanding Call Numbers 

Encyclopedias, dictionaries and other reference materials also follow the Library of Congress Classification System and can be found in the reference section on the Main Level of the Hammermill Library. 

Not sure where to go? Ask at the circulation desk or check out our map of the Hammermill library:

Map of Hammermill Library

Google Search Basics

Looking for English Books?

Search our catalog using the box below or use the links to jump to a sampling of books on a particular topic.

Mercyhurst Library Catalog

KeywordTitleAuthorSubjectISBNSeriesCall Number

Reference Materials

Literature

Writing

Literary Criticism

Poetry

Special Topics

Find the full text of many reference titles and works of literature online, for free!

Find a journal we don't have at Mercyhurst? You can request articles and other materials through our Interlibrary Loan service provided by the Mercyhurst Libraries.

Interlibrary Loan
Our ILL service allows you to request articles, books, chapters from books, and conference proceedings to request from libraries all over the country. Choose the material you'd like to request, log in using your Name and Mercyhurst ID Number, then fill out the form as completly as possible and click 'Submit This Request'.

*Please check the library holdings before requesting materials through this service!

You can place a hold on an item that is currently checked out; when it is returned, you will be notified by email.

You can also place a hold on an that's located at the North East Campus' Ridge library and it will be sent to the Hammermill Library for you and vice versa.

You can also place a hold from home on an item on Hammermill or Ridge Library's shelf so it doesn't get checked out by anyone else before you get to the library.

To place a hold, find the book in the catalog and click on "Request." You will be prompted to log in with your name and password and from there you can request that the book be sent to whichever campus library you need.