Open access materials
One of the things readers at Cambridge University Library most appreciate is the ability to wander amongst the bookstacks and retrieve material for themselves. Nevertheless, this is not a library where browsing is either easy or very efficient. Only one third of the collections are on open access, with many items being placed on closed access, for example in Select books (S950s or 850-899 for bibliography) or other such classes by decade of publication (9000s or C200s). Furthermore, open access material is arranged not only by subject, but also by size and by date of publication and many books in series are arranged with the series rather than under subject. It is therefore important to remember that if you are looking for material by a specific author or on a specific topic, you should always approach your search via the name or subject catalogue.
Guidelines for the open shelves
Italian Literature (740-742)
As with the schemes for other major European languages, Italian literary texts are divided by genre and by period. Texts are followed by related criticism. If an author writes fiction, plays and poetry, his or her work will generally be classified in three different places. Period subdivisions are as follows: early to 1450, 1450-1600, 1600-1800, 1801-1945 and 1945-. Italian poetry is placed between 740:2 and 740:4, drama between 740:6 and 740:8, fiction between 741:1 and 741:4, and prose other than fiction between 741:6 and 741:8. Texts and criticism of Dante stand between 742:01 and 742:9.
Italian Language (773)
Items are placed together, and mixed with works on Romance languages in general, and with all other specific Romance languages except French.
Italian History (576-580)
Classification of Italian history incorporates a fairly detailed chronological breakdown. General works on Italian history and civilisation are placed between 576:01 and 576:55. Works on medieval Italy stand between 576:6 and 576:68. These are arranged as follows:
576:6 | 476-553 | General. Renaissance |
576.63 | 489-553 | Gothic Kingdom |
553-568 | Byzantine Exarchate | |
568-768 | Lombard Kingdom | |
576:66 | 768-1492 | Later Middle Ages. Age of the Communes. Guelfs and Ghibellines |
576:68 | Biography, later medieval. Borgias |
Works on modern Italy stand between 576:7 and 576:95:
576:7 | 1492- | General |
576:72 | 1492-1527 | Invasions of Italy |
576:74 | 1492-1792 | 16th-18th centuries |
576:78 | 1792-1815 | Napoleonic Period |
576:8 | 1792- | 19th century in general |
576:83 | Biography of 19th century | |
576:85 | 1848-1871 | Risorgimento. Garibaldi |
576:87 | 1848-1849 | Austro-Sardinian war |
576:9 | 1871- | Italian Unification. Kingdom of Italy |
576:92 | 20th century 1923-1945 |
General Mussolini. Fascism |
There follows a detailed classification scheme for the regional and local history of Italy. Works on Northern Italy (Piedmont, Savoy, Valle d'Aosta; Genoa and Liguria; Milan and Lombardy; Venice and the Veneto, Trentino and Friuli-Venezia-Giulia) stand between 578:1 and 578:38. Works on Central Italy (Tuscany and Florence; Emilia-Romagna, San Marino, Marche, Umbria and Lazio) stand between 578:4 and 578:57. Works on Southern Italy (Naples, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Campania, Molise, Puglia, Basilicata, Calabria, Abruzzi; Sicily; Sardinia) stand between 578:6 and 578:83. Italian constitutional history is placed at 580:1; Italian colonies, collectively, at 580:6.