Background sources such as, but not limited to, dictionaries and encyclopedias provide context for your topic or even help you choose one. Researchers use them when they need:
Find books about civil engineering by using Preston Library's catalog. The search box is below:
Tips for searching are:
You can also browse the civil engineering section on the 400 level [TA], but there are other aspects of civil engineering located on the 600 level [GB-KF]. Library of Congress call numbers with subject headings are as follows:
| Call number range | LC Subject Heading |
|---|---|
| GB 1001 - GB 1005 | Groundwater Hydrology |
| HD 9715 - HD 9718 | Construction Management |
| HE 370 - HE 380 | Traffic Engineering |
| HV 675 | Prevention of Accidents |
| KF 390 .E54 | Engineering Law |
| KF 902 | Contracts. Construction Industry |
| KF 3812 | Air Pollution - Laws and Legislation |
| KF 3948 | Laws - Atomic Power Radiation |
| KF 3950 | Laws - Atomic Waste Disposal |
| QC 795.3 | Radioactive Substances. Special Aspects |
| QD 561 | Ions and Ionization |
| QE 602 - QE 606 | Structural Geology |
| RA 565 - RA 598 | Sanitation and Sanitary Control |
| RA 1231 .R2 | Radioactive Substances - Toxicology |
| S 591 - S593 | Soils Classification - Analysis |
| T 57.6 - T 57.95 | Operations Research - Systems Analysis |
| TA | Civil Engineering |
| TC 7 - TC 1645 | Hydraulic Engineering |
| TE 7 - TE 450 | Highway Engineering - Roads and Pavements |
| TF | Railroad Engineering and Operation |
| TH 425 - TH 435 | Building - Contracts and Specifications |
| TH 1094 - TH 1095 | Earth Movements and Buildings |
| TL 725 - TL 758 | Transportation |
A Dictionary of Construction, Surveying, and Civil Engineering by 
Environmental Engineering Dictionary by 
Materials Handbook by 
Standard Handbook for Civil Engineers by