LibGuides: Political Science & International Relations: Find Books

STL Catalog

Use the STL Catalog to find physical and electronic books, videos, journals, magazines and other materials owned by the Sojourner Truth Library. Search by author, title, subject, or keyword (All Fields).

*Helpful hint* Scholarly books always have an extensive bibliography and/or rich footnotes. Seek out the references that are listed in these books. Not only will this save you time but in many cases, you will be referred to other reliable sources.

How to renew online

Is your book on Reserve?

If your professor states that material you must read for class is in the library, chances are it is on reserve. To find the book or film you need, browse the Library Course Reserves Catalog.

Can't find a book in our library?

SUNY Catalog
Search all SUNY libraries and request that the book be delivered to SUNY New Paltz. This is a free service!
Worldcat
Search for books available at New Paltz and other libraries across the world.
Interlibrary Loan (ILLiad)
If the Sojourner Truth Library does not have the book or article you need for your research, you can make an Interlibrary Loan (ILL) request. If the request is attainable, ILL will order the item from another library. Articles arrive electronically (1-2 days) & books take a bit longer because they have to be mailed. This is a free service!
Interlibrary Loan Policies

E-book Collections

Ebook Central This link opens in a new window
An online library of 180,000+ ebooks in a variety of subjects from academic, professional and trade publishers. Most of the e-books in Ebook Central are leased and may be removed from our subscription at the individual publisher's discretion. Future access to these ebooks is not guaranteed.
Humanities E-book Project This link opens in a new window
Searchable collection of over 5,000 academic electronic books, covering many aspects of history and the humanities. These are works of major importance, from 250 publishers, that remain vital to both scholars and advanced students, and are frequently cited in the literature.
EBSCO eBook Collection This link opens in a new window
Electronic versions of books.
Gale Virtual Reference Library This link opens in a new window
Full-text entries from encyclopedias and reference works for multidisciplinary and subject-specific research in areas such as social sciences, education, business, psychology, art, history, etc.
Sage Knowledge This link opens in a new window
Searchable collection of encyclopedias, covering the social sciences and humanities. Formerly known as Sage Reference Online.

Using the Library of Congress Classification System

The Sojourner Truth Library uses the Library of Congress Classification System for the call numbers it assigns to most of the items in its collections.

If you're on campus and just want to browse the Stacks, here are the call number areas for political science and international relations:

J - General legislative and executive papers
JA - Political Science (General)
JC - Political Theory
JF - Political Institutions and public administration
JJ - Political Institutions and public administration (North America)
JK - Political Institutions and public administration (United States)
JL - Political Institutions and public administration (Canada, Latin America, etc.)
JN - Political Institutions and public administration (Europe)
JQ - Political Institutions and public administration (Asia, Africa, Australia, Pacific Area, etc.)
JS - Local government. Municipal government
JV - Colonies and colonization. Emigration and immigration. International law, See JZ and KZ
JZ - International Relations

How do I find my book on the shelf?

The Sojourner Truth Library uses the Library of Congress Classification System for the call numbers it assigns to most of the items in its collections, including Reference, in-depth books (Stacks), and Media. Because books are classified by subject, you can often find several helpful books on the same shelf, or nearby.

This video created by the Douglas College Library offers some helpful tips for reading a Library of Congress Call number to locate an item

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