Physics: Finding Books

Searching for Books in the Catalogue

Use the Library Catalogue to find books (including e-books) at the University of Regina Library, Campion College Library, Luther College Library, First Nations University Library, and online.

The Library Catalogue offers two search modes: Basic Search and Advanced Search. Most searches can be done in Basic Search.

• Use Basic Search when you want to search by keyword, search using Boolean operators^† (AND, OR and NOT), or search for a specific known item using title, author, or call number.
• Use Advanced Search when you want to search in two or more specific fields (e.g., title and author), or search by keyword within specific fields (e.g. keywords within the title). There are also options to search by less commonly used fields, such as ISBN.

^† For a guide to using Boolean search operators, see the page Essential Search Techniques in this guide.

Browsing Guide for Physics Books

Printed physics books in the University of Regina Library (except for reference books) are located on the 4th floor and generally have call numbers beginning with QC; astrophysics books are in the range QB460 - QB466.

► Keep in mind that many of the books in the University of Regina collection are online only—you won't find them on the shelves.

Here is a further breakdown of the QC call numbers:

          QC1 - QC75 — General
          QC81 - QC114 — Weights and measures
          QC120 - QC168 — Descriptive and experimental mechanics
          QC170 - QC197 — Atomic physics, matter; includes molecular physics, relativity, quantum theory, and
                    solid state physics
          QC221 - QC246 — Acoustics and sound

          QC251 - QC338 — Heat
                    QC310.15 - QC319 — Thermodynamics

          QC350 - QC467 — Optics, light
                    QC450 - QC467 — Spectroscopy

          QC474 - QC496.9 — Radiation physics (general)

          QC501 - QC766 — Electricity and magnetism
                    QC669 - QC675.8 — Electromagnetic theory
                    QC676 - QC678.6 — Radio waves (theory)
                    QC701 - QC715.4 — Electric discharge
                    QC717.6 - 718.8 — Plasma physics, ionized gases
                    QC750 - QC766 — Magnetism

          QC770 - QC798 — Nuclear and particle physics, atomic energy, radioactivity
                    QC793 - QC793.5 — Elementary particle physics
                    QC794.95 - QC798 — Radioactivity and radioactive substances

          QC801 - QC809 — Geophysics, cosmic physics
          QC811 - QC849 — Geomagnetism

          QC851 - QC999 — Meteorology, climatology, Earth's atmosphere
                    QC974.5 - QC976 — Meteorological optics
                    QC980 - QC999 — Climatology and weather

If you both live and study outside of Regina, check out the guide below.

E-books are listed in the Library Catalogue along with the printed books, with a notable exception:
Some of the more recent e-books published by Springer, a major scientific publisher, are not yet in the Library Catalogue, but they are in the database SpringerLink. Search in SpringerLink for the latest Springer e-books.

A word of caution when searching for e-books in SpringerLink: If you search for books by title in Advanced Search (available by clicking on the gear-wheel icon), be aware that SpringerLink treats subtitles of books inconsistently, sometimes as part of the title and sometimes not. For example, if you do a title-specific search for the book Extragalactic Astronomy and Cosmology: An Introduction, if you enter the word introduction (i.e. a word from the subtitle), the book will not be found. In the easy search interface (the default), however, this is not a problem.

There are many physics books that are not owned by the University of Regina Library. You may request any book that is not owned by the U of R via Interlibrary Loan.

Here are some resources to identify books not owned by the U of R:

• Worldcat
• AMICUS (Canadian national catalogue)
• Library of Congress Catalog
• Amazon