The Stock Room

The stock room, often referred to as the inventory storage area, serves as the central space within the library dedicated to managing and organizing physical collections of books, journals, and other materials.

This essential component of the library infrastructure is responsible for maintaining an efficient storage system, ensuring that items are readily available for circulation or reference.

In the MMU Library stock room, library staff engage in tasks such as shelving, organizing, and inventory management to optimize the accessibility of materials. This area plays a vital role in supporting the overall functioning of the library by providing a systematic and well-maintained storage space for the diverse range of print resources available to library users.

Efficient organization within the stock room is crucial for quick retrieval of items when requested by patrons, contributing to a seamless borrowing and return process. Periodic inventory checks and maintenance activities are conducted to uphold the integrity of the library’s physical collection, promoting an environment where resources are easily locatable and in good condition for use.

Ultimately, the stock room is an integral part of the MMU Library’s infrastructure, playing a behind-the-scenes role in ensuring that the library’s physical collections are well-preserved, organized, and readily accessible to support the diverse needs of library users.

Organization of the Stock

• Classification Scheme: All books in the stock room are meticulously arranged following a classification scheme – Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) scheme. Each subject is assigned a unique shelf-mark for easy identification.
• Locating Books: To find a book efficiently, consult the manual catalogue chart. Note the shelf-mark (subject number) corresponding to the desired subject and then locate the book on the shelves using this identifier.
• Shelf-Mark Guide: Refer to our Shelf-Mark Guide (PDF) for a detailed layout of the library shelves. For example;

• Shelf 001 houses books from 000-Generalities to 400-Languages;
• While Shelf 002 covers books from 400-Languages to 600 with more subdivisions. Additional sections include Shelf 003 for books on Management to Literature & Rhetoric; Shelf 004 for the Special Collection (with subjects from all classes) to Geography and History, and;
• Shelf 005 for the Library’s Reference Books, such as Encyclopedias, Indexes, Dictionaries, etc.

The remaining shelves accommodate Student Research collections (Dissertations), Journals, Periodicals, and Box Archives.

• Assistance at the Issue Desk: If you encounter any challenges locating a book, our User Service Section at the issue desk is here to assist you. Simply approach our staff, and they will be delighted to help you find the materials you need.