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Oceanography Research Guide

Books & Library Catalogs

The Library Catalog lists all of the books videos and CDs at the Cal Poly Humboldt University Library.  

A keyword search is usually the best way to begin.  When you find items of interest, check the catalog records for subject headings or other terms to modify your search.

You can borrow books from other libraries with our InterLibrary Loan service. For details about the ILL policies, view the ILL FAQ page.

Call Numbers: Library of Congress Classification

Print Books at HSU

Find books in the HSU catalog!

E-Books Online

Find E-books in the HSU catalog!

You can also browse and search Ebrary. Here is a guide how to use ebrary. 

Google Books

Google Book Search

Call Numbers for Environmental Science Books

Our Library uses the Library of Congress Classification System to assign call numbers. In this system, the first two or three lines of a call number identify the subject of a book or other item. The main call number used for Oceanography is GC.

GB Physical Geography
         450-460 Coast Geomorphology
         461-468 Reef Geomorphology 
GC Oceanography
         63 Oceanographic expeditions
         65-78 Underwater exploration
         83-87.6 Submarine topography
         96-97.8 Estuarine oceanography
         100-103 Seawater
         109-149 Chemical oceanography
         120-130 Salinity
         150-181 Physical oceanography
         150-155 Density
         160-177 Temperature
         177.6-181 Optical oceanography
         190-190.5 Ocean-atmosphere interaction
         200-376 Dynamics of the ocean
         205-226 Waves
         228.5-228.6 Ocean circulation
         229-296.8 Currents
         297-299 Water masses and oceanic mixing
         300-376 Tides
         377-399 Marine sediments
         401-881 Oceanography. By region
         1000-1023 Marine resources. Applied oceanography
         1080-1581 Marine pollution. Seawater pollution
QC Physics
         801-809 Geophysics 
QE Geology
         39 Marine Geology
         350 Geology of the Ocean Basin 
QH Biology (General)
         91-95 Marine Biology
         541.5 E8 Estuarine Ecology
         541.5 S3 Marine Ecology 
QK Botany
         103 Marine Flora
         931 Marine Plant Ecology
         934 Marine Phytoplankton Ecology 
QL Zoology
         120-138 Marine Fauna 
TC Hydraulic Engineering
         1501-1645 Ocean Engineering

Other Library Catalogs

Following are some specific union and library catalogs that include significant collections on oceanography:

Union Catalogs

  • NOAALINC Union catalog containing the holdings of NOAA libraries around the country.
  • WAVES Union catalog of the 12 Fisheries and Oceans Canada libraries.

Individual libraries noted for their oceanography collections

How To Videos

The following short videos will show you how to accomplish some basic research tasks.