Sociology: Books & Reference Sources

The library has a vast collection of print and electronic titles in Sociology and related subjects. Using Library Search to search by title, author and/or keywords is the best way to find out what we have. Books are arranged on the shelves using the Dewey Decimal Classification system. You will need to note down the number and accompanying letters for each book listed on Library Search to find the item on the shelves. 

If the book you are looking for is not available in the library at Goldsmiths, expand your search to include Senate House books by checking the box which says 'include other libraries'. All Goldsmiths students can borrow books from Senate House library after completing a short online registration form. To register for Senate House library follow the instructions here. 

Click on the link below to see a list of some of the key classmarks for Sociology.

You can also check to see what books other libraries in London and the local area, or even across the country have by using online library catalogues. Most academic libraries in the UK are signed up to the SCONUL scheme which enable you to access their collections. There are three main catalogues you can search to check the holdings of multiple institutions at once. These are outlined below.

If there are books which are not available in London libraries and are therefore not easily accessible, or if you feel a book is useful to other students, you can make a request for Goldsmiths library to purchase the book. There are a number of ways to do this:

Firstly each department has a student library rep who has a small budget available for purchasing books requested by students. Details about the student library rep for each department can be found here: https://www.gold.ac.uk/library/contact/student-library-reps/

Alternatively you can fill out an online request form which will be sent to your subject librarian.

Please be aware that a request does not automatically mean the item will be purchased. A number of factors will be taken into consideration before making a decision including the relevance of the book to other students, its availability at other libraries in London and the cost taken into account alongside the amount of budget left.

Library Search will return results for both print and electronic books. When a book is electronic you will see a link for online access. You can also visit our eBook platforms directly, via the links below, to browse through our eBook collections.

There are also a number of free online book collections available which may contain useful titles. 

Reference sources are a great way to gain an overview of a person, theory or concept and to find out some key names in a field if you aren't familiar it. Not all of our reference sources are indexed in Library search (as shown by the icon beneath each one), therefore you may need to visit the resource individually.