Finding Books

X̱wi7x̱wa Library is a centre for Indigenous scholarship and research materials at UBC. At X̱wi7x̱wa, you can find books about Indigenous peoples, perspectives, and history, and books written by Indigenous authors.

Although most of UBC Library’s branches classify materials using the Library of Congress classification system, X̱wi7x̱wa Library uses a modified version of the Brian Deer classification system. Additionally, there are some items that are available at both X̱wi7x̱wa and another UBC Library branch. In these cases, you will likely find two catalogue records for that title, one for each location.

Catalogue records for books at X̱wi7x̱wa follow the same format as the other UBC Library branches, but the call numbers and subject headings are different. Take the book Why Indigenous Literatures Matter by Daniel Heath Justice for example. Here is a catalogue record for the book from Koerner and Okanagan, where the call number is PS153.I52 J878 2018:

Now, here is the record for the same book at X̱wi7x̱wa, this time with YC J87 W49 2018 as the call number:

You'll see that the two records also use different subject headings to describe the book. Items at X̱wi7x̱wa Library's are given call numbers and subject headings that follow standards for Indigenous Knowledge Organization.

For more information about finding books at X̱wi7x̱wa, including a more detailed guide for the subject headings and classification system, visit X̱wi7x̱wa's webpage.