The Health Sciences Library keeps the newest and most frequently used print books in the Knowledge Center. Here are tips on how to locate these books and check them out.

First, use CLIO, the online catalog, to see what is available.

CLIO contains information on all of the Columbia University Libraries collections, both in print and electronic. Books that are available on the Health Sciences Library shelves will say “Health Sciences” in the location field.

Next, locate books by the call number.

Once you find a book in CLIO, note the call number information to locate it on the shelves. We use the Library of Congress call number system, which groups books by subject area. (An example call number is QP355.2 .B425 2016, which is for the book Neuroscience: Exploring the Brain by Mark F. Bear.) Follow the Knowledge Center call number signs to locate the area where the book is shelved.

Finally, use the self-checkout kiosk to borrow books.

The self-checkout kiosk is located near the circular Information Desk in the Library. You can use the kiosk 24/7 to borrow any of the circulating books on the shelves.

The on-site print collection is just a small representation of the many resources made available by the Library. We have many more print books and journals available at other Columbia University Libraries locations and in the offsite shelving facility, ReCAP. In addition, you can access millions of e-books, online journals, and databases in CLIO.