Understanding the system of alphabetical and numerical co-ordinates used on the floor plans will help you locate what you are looking for in the Firestone Library building—whether a book, a storage locker, a room, or a collection other than (F) that is housed in the building, such as the Classics Collection (Clas), the Current Periodicals Collection (PR), and others.
When you step out of a public elevator on A Floor, for example, look down at the large floor tile representing a compass card to orient yourself.
Bear in mind that north is towards Nassau Street and south is towards the Chapel. East is towards Washington Road and west is towards East Pyne.
With the exception of the Main Floor, the floors are made up of bays measuring approximately 18 by 25 feet that are ordinarily defined by a large pier at each corner. The piers are represented by black or grey rectangles on the floor plans.
The floor plans show rows of bays running north and south and marked from 1 to 19. B and C Floors have two additional rows of north-south bays on the west side that are included in row 1.
The lettered rows run east and west and are marked from A to J (I is omitted) above B Floor and from A to P (I and O are omitted) on B and C Floors.
The point at which a north-south row of bays intersects an east-west row is designated by both a numeral and a letter of the alphabet. These two designations are preceded by a numeral or a letter indicating the floor. Thus the area designated A-7F is a bay on A Floor that is adjacent to the Library Classroom at A-6F.
Some bays are subdivided. Co-ordinates for those spaces include a number after the row letter.
The green Call Number Information sheet indicates the co-ordinates of the bay in which the books at the beginning of a given range of call numbers are shelved. The floor plans will help you understand how the rest of the books in that range are shelved, where books in other call number ranges and in collections other than (F) are shelved, and where you will find restrooms, photocopiers, printers, scanners, and other services and offices.
Click on the “Where to find it” link in the catalog record for up-to-date information about the location of any item.
Please do not hesitate to ask any member of the Library staff for help in using the Main Catalog or finding materials in the libraries.
19 April 2018
