Geography Subject Guide
Books and Journals held in Birkbeck Library
Search for all material held in the Library (except electronic journals) using the Library catalogue. This will tell you the location (shelfmark) and number of copies of each book.
To find a book in the Library, make a note of the shelfmark. Older books have an alphabetical shelfmark e.g. Physical Geography is shelved at DH. Newer material has a numerical shelfmark e.g. Physical Geography is shelved at 910. List of useful shelfmarks for Geography.
It is important to use the catalogue rather than simply browse the shelves as books may be out on loan. Books that are on loan can be reserved using the catalogue. You will need your Library barcode number (at the bottom of your College ID card).
Most books can be borrowed for 3 weeks, others for 1 week or 1 day. Some books and photocopies of articles that appear on reading lists can be found in the Reading Room Collection. There is also a range of electronic reference books that you can access both in and outside College.
Journals
Print journals
Print journals are arranged alphabetically by title on levels 3 and 4 of the Library. They are not for loan but articles may be photocopied. Search for titles by using the Library catalogue and selecting a Journals Alphabetical search. This will also give dates of holdings.
The Library also subscribes to over 25,000 electronic journals. These are available via the ejournals page. Simply type in the name of the journal you are looking for.
Many ejournals can be accessed from outside College after you log in with your IT Services username and password. Don't forget to register your computer first by setting up a cookie.
If you don't know which journal you would like to access and just want to search by keyword(s) to see what has been written about a particular subject, there are many ejournal resources useful for Geography.
