A keyword search in the library catalog allows you to search for any term relevant to your research topic. Keyword searching simply matches your search terms to any word included in a book's catalog listing. Using common terms might retrieve satisfactory results, but most books are cataloged according to a controlled vocabulary to make indexing, searching, and finding books more consistent. One way to learn this vocabulary is to view the book record of a title you are interested in. Click on any book title in the catalog, then click on its description. Notice the subject headings that are assigned to the book -- this is the controlled vocabulary used to describe the book. These headings are hyperlinked to other books in our catalog that have been assigned the same subjects and may allow you to discover additional relevant titles.
The main collection of print materials is on the third floor. The subject classification for the sciences is Q; thus all of the call numbers beginning with Q will pertain to this broad discipline.
Biology is a subclass of Science; books in this subject area are shelved within the range of QH-QR. For example, books about Evolution will have a call number beginning with QH, whereas books about Animal Behavior will have a call number beginning with QL.