General & Reference Resources

All collections in UCL libraries have their own reference books and these are usually located at the beginning of the sequence. For example, Graham Bannock's The Penguin dictionary of economics is at ECONOMICS A 1 BAN. See other Subject Guides for more detailed information.

However, the largest collection of general reference books with the Shelfmark REFERENCE in UCL Explore is  located off the South Corridor of the Main Library, opposite the Help Point, and there is also a small collection of dictionaries and other reference works on the ground floor of the Science Library.

Reference books in Main and Science Libraries are arranged according to a classification scheme unique to UCL; classmarks for reference books will start with either REFERENCE, or SCIENCE LIBRARY REFERENCE. This indicates whether it is in the Main Library or Science Library respectively, and is followed by letters and numbers denoting its classified position on the shelves in that section e.g.

REFERENCE BB 2a for "Who's Who"

SCIENCE LIBRARY REFERENCE BC 4a SCI for "Dictionary of Scientific Biography"

The Reference collections include language and subject dictionaries, writing and style guides, biographical works, guides to information resources and directories of funding bodies.

Borrowable books on writing essays and papers, and study skills generally, are available in the HIGHER EDUCATION collection which is near the REFERENCE collection in the Main Library.

A brief guide to finding and accessing e-books via UCL Explore.

ReadingLists @UCL is an online service that gives students easy access to materials on their reading lists wherever they are, and allows academic staff to create and update their own reading lists.