Textbooks

Need a Textbook?

Selected textbooks are available online and in print.

Overview

The Library buys one copy of most required textbooks and places it on "reserve" behind the Check Out Desk (Note: Textbooks for Watsonville classes are available at the ILC). These textbooks are freely available for 4-hour or overnight checkout.

Many of these textbooks are also available to checkout online for a few hours at a time, in case you are studying from off-campus. Browse to find your textbook, then login with your Canvas/Cabrillo login to unlock PDF chapters!

Student reading a textbook in the library

Finding a Textbook on Reserve

Use OneSearch to search by course or instructor

Cabrillo Library OneSearch offers features to limit your search to textbooks, above the search box or after entering your search terms

Refine your results on the left side by -- you can filter by Course Instructor and Course Name.

Left menu in OneSearch as expandable filters for both Course Instructor and Course Name

Here is the result for a textbook search for BIO 4 with instructor Robin McFarland:

OneSearch result showing the textbook "Human Anatomy, 6th ed"

Books

Searching

Also use OneSearch to search for a book on any topic.

Cabrillo Library OneSearch offers features to limit your search to books, above the search box or after entering your search terms

Make note of whether it's available and the location and call number. These will tell you if the book is available for checkout, and where to find it.

Record for the book "Blind Injustice" in OneSearch, including availability, location, and call number

Finding the Book on the Shelf

Student looking for a book in the library stacks

The letters and numbers on the book's spine are called Library of Congress call numbers. They tell you where the book is and what it is about.

For example, let's look at the call number for the book, Blind Injustice:

KF9756 .G63 2017

K = Law
KF = United States Law
9756 = Judicial Error
G63 = Name of author
2017 = Year of publication

Book spine label showing call number KF9756.G63 2017

For a brief demonstration, please watch the following 2-minute video on reading and understanding Library of Congress call numbers: