More info:

Policy for Use of Online Services

Accessing E-Resources from Off-Campus

Find Information by Subject:

• Aerospace Engineering
• Architecture
• Biology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Business
• Chemical Engineering
• Chemistry
• Civil Engineering
• Computer Engineering
• Computer Science
• Design
• Electrical Engineering
• Environmental Engineering
• Government Documents
• Humanities
• Manufacturing Technology
• Materials Science
• Mathematics
• Math & Science Education
• Mechanical Engineering
• Physics
• Polymer Science
• Psychology
• Public Administration & Policy
• Social Sciences

Biology Subject Guide

Search for Books  |  On the Shelf - Call Numbers  |  Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, Handbooks, etc.  |  Textbooks

Search for Books

IIT Library Catalog
Search for books held at IIT Libraries. You can also use the catalog to search for any of the e-book titles from Books 24x7.

I-Share Catalog
A catalog of the collections of dozens of academic libraries that are part of the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois. Use the Request feature to submit a request for an item from another library.

WorldCat
An online catalog of more than 8,000 libraries worldwide. Use the MyILL button to place requests for materials not owned by IIT or I-Share Libraries. Make sure that the item you want is not available in either the IIT or I-Share catalog before submitting a request in WorldCat.

On the Shelf - Call Numbers

Call numbers serve as a guide to browsing pertinent areas of the library's collection. When you have a call number for a book of interest, be sure to check the shelves nearby for related books. The call numbers listed below are a sampling of the major areas where books on biology can be found.

QH, QK, QL, QP, QR
Main circulating collection, reference (prefaced by REF, e.g. REF.QH...), new book shelf, & reserves (NOTE: many other types of science are also represented nearby.)

574 - 599
Dewey Decimal Collection (note: the library's Dewey Decimal collection contains older books published prior to 1985)

Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, Handbooks, etc.

These types of books are located in the Reference Collection (on the upper level of the library). Reference books cannot be checked out and must stay in the library. To search for reference books, use the IIT Library Catalog. The following is a list of some useful titles:

GENERAL BIOLOGY

A to Z of Biologists
REF.QH26.Y682003

Encyclopedia of the Life Sciences, 20 vols
Ref.QH302.5.E53x2005

Facts on File Dictionary of Biology
REF.QH302.5.F382005

Henderson’s Dictionary of Biological Terms
REF.QH302.5.H652000

Penguin Dictionary of Biology
REF.QH13.N622004

SPECIAL TOPICS

Dictionary of Cell and Molecular Biology
REF.QH575.D552007

Dictionary of Environmental Microbiology
REF.QR100.S742003

Dictionary of Genetics
REF.QH427.K552002

Dictionary of Gene Technology
REF.QH442.K34

Encyclopedia of Genetics, 2 vols
REF.QH427.E532004

Encyclopedic Dictionary of Genetics, Genomics and Proteomics
REF.QH427.R432003

Encyclopedia of Microbiology, 4 vols
REF.QR9.E53x1999

Encyclopedia of Virology
REF.QR358.E53

Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia
REF.QL3.G7813

Nature Encyclopedia of the Human Genome, 5 vols
REF.QH447.E532003

Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
REF.QP512.O942003

GENERAL SCIENCE

Dictionary of Scientific Biography
REF.Q141.D5

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
REF.Q123.M342003

McGraw-Hill encyclopedia of Science & Technology, 20 vols.
REFQ121.M32007

Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia
REF.Q121.V3

Textbooks

The library does not provide circulating copies of textbooks. However, some current and past textbooks have been placed on Reserve. Reserve books can be checked out for two hours at a time but cannot be removed from the library. This ensures they are available to as many students as possible during the semester they are assigned. To search for textbooks on reserve, use the IIT Library Catalog.