Call numbers help to group books on the same subject together. For example, books about music all have call numbers that start with M. Call numbers seem long, for instance, the complete call number for Career Opportunities in the Music Industry is ML3795 .F497 1995. General encyclopedias such as the World Book Encyclopedia are often the best place to start, but there are many other possibilities. Consult with a reference librarian for recommendations for background reading. While doing background reading, watch for bibliographies, which can point you toward other useful sources.
Bibliographies are lists of recommended books on a certain topic.
Some bibliographies simply provide a bibliographic citation. Sometimes bibliographies are called the List of Works Cited . Most textbooks have bibliographies. In libraries, the words periodical or serial refer to magazines or journals and these terms are often used interchangeably. For books , a citation includes the author, title, year of publication, name of the publishing company and the place of publication.