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Browsing the Stacks Tutorial

Feel more confident about navigating the physical stacks in order to plan a visit to browse with curiosity and purpose.

Asynchronous Online Learning Module - Part 1 of 2

Welcome!

In this module, we are talking about books in the UNM University Libraries. That’s right, physical, paper books on shelves. We’ll cover: 

The basics: Terminology and fast facts 

Organization: How books are arranged in the UL 

Wayfinding: How to navigate UL spaces 

Discovery: Algorithms vs. browsing & serendipity in the stacks 

Wrap-up: Reflection & quiz, plus submitting your work for credit.

 

Tips

  • This online module will take you about 20 minutes to complete.
  • If you experience technical difficulties, please email us: undergrads@unm.libanswers.com 

 

Start the Tutorial (part 1)

Activity: Stacked with Possibilities - Part 2 of 2

Tips

  • Remember to complete Part 1 before doing this activity.

  • The activity itself takes about 15 minutes, but plan for additional time for false starts and travel to the library building.

  • If your instructor assigned this activity, it concludes with a certificate of completion which you may submit to your instructor for credit.

    • If you email a copy to yourself, note that it will come from an external sender (donotreply@libwizard.com). You may need to check you spam folder.

  • Anyone is welcome to try the activity—it’s a great way to apply what you’ve learned in part 1! 

Learning Objective

By completing this activity, you will be able to engage in hands-on exploration of the library stacks to reinforce an understanding of how materials are arranged for subject-based discovery.

Logistics

This activity asks you to physically browse the stacks and then to reflect on that experience by submitting questions online through the form linked here. Depending on your style, you might want to:

  • Bring a device with you to the library moving between the physical stacks and the online form linked below.  We strongly recommend a laptop, which you can check out at any library -- our tests with tablets and phones felt tedious. Or,
  • Another option is to print off or download the activity worksheet to bring with you to the library to fill offline. However, you will need to come back online to submit your work separately in the form.