Hello there!
This guide contains essential information for new students to get set up and connected to the Library's services and resources.
Visit the Library website to discover our collections of online resources, including eBooks and journal articles, and get help from Library staff.
Did you know the University of Melbourne has 11 libraries for students? Find the libraries that hold collections in your specific areas of study and research below.
Architecture, Building and Planning
Architecture Library
Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Baillieu Library
Health and Life Sciences
Brownless Biomedical Library
Plant, Ecosystem and Forest Sciences
Burnley and Creswick Libraries
Sciences, Engineering and East Asian
Eastern Resource Centre
Business, Economics and Education
Giblin Eunson Library
Law
Law Library
Fine Arts and Music
Southbank Library
Veterinary and Agricultural Science Libraries
Library opening hours
Opening hours vary throughout the year. Some libraries also have After Hours Study Zones which you can access with your student or staff card.
Are you using Google to find things for your assignments? Get quick and easy access to Library resources by using our browser extensions: Lean Library and LibKey Nomad.
Find your subject readings by clicking on the Readings Online tab in Canvas.
Library Guides are made by Librarians to show you the most useful search tools and research resources for your assignments.
Develop your researching and writing skills with the resources below:
Level up your researching skills, including tips and tricks on how to get the most out of your time when searching, reading, and writing.
Academic Skills can help you develop your reading, writing and referencing skills with their range of helpful online resources.
Re:cite is the University's online hub for referencing resources and provides guides for referencing styles used at the University of Melbourne, with examples to help you cite and acknowledge sources.
Discovery is the Library’s search engine. It searches thousands of databases the University subscribes to, and includes our collections in the Library Catalogue.
Use Discovery to quickly find full-text, peer-reviewed articles.
You can find Discovery on the Library website.
Top tip: If you are unsure of which library a book is held in, click the link under Location. This will give you the full details of where the book is located (including information on which floors each call number range is held).
You can also find eBooks by filtering your search results in Discovery by following the steps below.
The University of Melbourne Library organises its collections by using Dewey Decimal Classification (with the exception of the Law and the East Asian collections).
Dewey Classification assigns a number to a specific item, often referred to as a 'call number'. This system groups subjects into ten basic categories that are further broken down to specify more detail.
The 10 categories
000 Generalities
100 Philosophy
200 Religion
300 Social Sciences
400 Language
500 Natural Sciences/Mathematics
600 Technology/Applied Sciences
700 The Arts
800 Literature
900 History & Geography
Often there is a decimal point after the first three numbers, followed by more numbers. This allows the call number to reflect a more specific or specialised subject area. Letters then usually follow the call number- usually the first letters of the author's surname or the title (if the book is an edited volume). This helps to distinguish that particular item from others at the same number.
EXAMPLE
To get to the subclass for the book The Planets by Carmel Reilly the Dewey number grows like this:
500 Natural Sciences and Maths
523 Specific celestial bodies
523.4 Planets
523.4 REIL The Planets by Carmel Reilly
Every one of our book shelves has a number range listed on it. Here's some step-by-step instructions on how to find your book:
If you ever need help finding a book on the shelves, please ask a library staff member at our service desks or one of our Student Library Assistants.
Use your student or staff card to borrow from our libraries. For more information, click the button below:
You can scan, print and photocopy at our libraries. For more details click the button below:
The Library works with Student Equity and Disability Support (SEDS) to provide support services for students, including access to rooms and computers with assistive technology. If you require accessibility support services, please start by registering with the SEDS team so that we can best organise access to the facilities you need.
Please note: For the full list of subject Librarians, and the study and research areas they can help you with, please click the button below
