Browsing the Stacks
Williams College Libraries arrange materials on the shelves using the Library of Congress Classification System. This system groups together materials on similar subjects in the same call number range. This system is used in the book stacks and in the reference collection. Knowing the call number range for a particular subject will allow you to browse the shelves for materials.
The areas below are useful in helping to understand historical context and design elements appropriate for that context:
While there is really no substitute for practicing finding items and browsing the collection in person, you can practice a little bit online by using the Virtual Browse functionality in the catalog. This feature shows you a revolving menu of the physical items in call number order, so in essence it is recreating the physical shelving order of the books and other items in both Sawyer and Schow.
To utilize this feature you must first be looking at the record of a physical item. After performing a search, look for an item record that lists the item as "Available at [library] ([call number]). This information will be located below the title, author, and year of publication of the item - see screenshot below for reference.
Click the title of the item to go to the item's record. This is the screen where you can request the item for pickup, or scans of the item, among other important tasks and information. If you scroll to the bottom of the record you will see the Virtual Browse feature - screenshot below.
Use the arrows on either side to scroll through items as you would find them on the shelf! Again, this is less exciting than browsing in person, but it does show how connections between the subjects of the materials are made.
You may also be able to browse inside the book using the Table of Contents or This item in Amazon.com links the Links section.
