Use this resource to find books, journal titles, movies, and music owned by Elmhurst University, and information about items located in 80 academic and research libraries in Illinois.
This handy video explains how to get started with BlueJay Search. You can also reach out to the Reference Desk via chat from the library homepage, or email us at library@elmhurst.edu.
Search for your topic idea in the catalog. Complete the worksheet linked below, answering the questions based on your results list.
This is how books are organized in our library. If you use BlueJay Search and find an available book you want to borrow from our library, look at the numbers and letters in parentheses.
This is the book's "call number", and it tells you where the book is located in the library's collection. The example above shows that the book is in the 800s, so you would go
UPSTAIRS and follow the signs on the ends of the shelves to find the right section.
Look at the numbers on the label at the bottom of the book spines to find the title you want.
Success! Ask at the reference desk if you need help finding an item.
The chart below shows how books are organized within the Dewey Decimal System:
