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Physics

This guide will help you navigate information sources in physics.

Catalogs

To find books, try the catalogs listed below. If you don't find the book you need in the Vassar Library Catalog or using ConnectNY, use ILLiad, Vassar Library's interlibrary loan service. Click here for more information about interlibrary loan services.

Library Search
Use the Library Search to find print and electronic books and periodicals (journals, magazines, newspapers) owned by the Library, as well as other media. Use the drop-down menus to specify the type of search you want to conduct. When Vassar does not have the book you need or our copy is not available, search Connect NY.
ConnectNY
Search the combined catalogs of 14 academic libraries in New York (including Vassar). You can request books not owned by Vassar or books that are checked out at Vassar; books arrive in 2-4 days.
WorldCat
WorldCat is the world's largest network of library content and provides a search interface for the combined collections of college, university, public, and special libraries across the United States as well as some international holdings.

E-Book Collections

Springer eBooks
The Library provides access to thousands of e-books published by Springer spanning the fields of astronomy, chemistry, computer science, life science, earth science, math, and physics. Coverage extends from 2005 to present; accessible titles are indicated by a green square. These books can also be found by searching the Vassar Library Catalog.
Google Books -- Physics
A service from Google that searches the full text of books that Google has scanned and stored in its digital database. Depending on copyright restrictions, you may only be able to preview a small portion of the book. (The link provided goes to Google's physics books.)

Search Tips for Using the Vassar Library Catalog

When you find a book of interest, note the location, write down the call number, and check the status. Also look at the subject headings assigned to the book; you might find it useful to click on these headings to find similar books on your topic.

Click here for help understanding book locations and call numbers.

Call Numbers in Physics

Books in Vassar Library are assigned a call number according to the Library of Congress classification system. The call number consists of a combination of letters and numbers, and is designed so that books on similar topics will be near each other on the shelf and easy to browse.

Some physics books are in the Sanders Physics Library and some are in the Main Library. If you want to browse the collections, call number ranges are as follows:

QC1 to QC75	General Physics
QC170 to QC197	Atomic Physics
QC221 to QC246	Acoustics
QC251 to QC338.5	Heat
QC350 to QC467	Optics
QC501 to QC766	Electricity and Magnetism
QC717.6 to QC718.8	Plasma Physics
QC770 to QC798	Nuclear and Particle Physics