How To Use This Guide
While Boston University Libraries focus on collecting to support academic research, we want to support your leisure reading goals! This guide is for you whether you're a voracious reader, literary wanderer, and/or if you want to make more time for mental health during the school year. Find out where you can take a reading break and enjoy what Boston (and beyond) offers:
Reading for Pleasure at BU
BU Libraries @ Howard Thurman Center
This collection focuses on leisure reading to find common ground. Our book selections are inspired by the mission of the Howard Thurman Center and Thurman's own beliefs about fostering community through empathy and self-awareness.
Science Fiction at SEL
The Science and Engineering Library has a science fiction reading corner. Visit in person, or browse in the BU Libraries spotlight collections highlighting recreational fiction and recreational non-fiction at SEL.
Children's and YA at Pickering
The Pickering Educational Resources Library supports the Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. As part of this support, Pickering has collections of children's and young adult books.
LGBTQIA+ Student Resource Center
The LGBTQIA+ Student Resource Center has a small lending library focused on queer stories.
Fiction at Mugar
BU Libraries use the Library of Congress Classification System to arrange our books, this means that books are grouped by topic. You can find fiction at Mugar by looking for call numbers that begin with the letters PR or PS. PR represents English literature, PS American. Most of the PR's are on the fourth and fifth floors of Mugar Library, all PS books are on the fifth floor. If you're interested in foreign language literature, you can check the LC classification table to see where that might be located.
Where to look for literature in Mugar
Browse the Mugar stacks in the following range based on the publication date of the books you're interested in reading.
- English Literature from 1770-1900 - PR3991-5990
- English Literature from 1900-1960 - PR6000-6049
- English Literature from 1961-2000 - PR6050-6076
- English Literature from 2001-now - PR6100-6126
- American Literature from 1800-1900 - PS991-3390
- American Literature from 1900-1960 - PS3500-3549
- American Literature from 1961-2000 - PS3550-3576
- American Literature from 2001-now - PS3600-3626
- BU Libraries SearchWe also have a large number of eBooks, so try searching for titles and authors that you want to read in BU Libraries Search to find out if we have an eBook copy.
