Arcane Knowledge

If you’d like to research a specific subject area within the Arcane Knowledge Collection, searching by subject rather than keyword can help return more refined results. Some Library of Congress Subject Headings in our collection are listed below. The terms below include links to searches that have been customized by librarians to manage the number of results. They may not encompass the entirety of the library’s holdings on the subject. 

• Alchemy
• Astrology
• Astral Projection
• Demonology
• Divination
• Extraterrestrial beings
• Extrasensory perception
• Ghosts
• Hermeticism
• Magic
• Magic – History
• Metaphysics
• Mysticism
• Neopaganism
• Occultism
• Occultists
• Parapsychology
• Ritual
• Runes – Miscellanea
• Santeria
• Shamanism
• Spiritualism
• Tarot
• Theosophy
• Vodou
• Witchcraft

To view titles that are part of our Arcane Knowledge Reference Collection located on the 3rd Floor of the Main Library, perform a search in our online catalog, then use the filter "Titles I Can..." to select "Only use in a library." See Research and Reference below for more information.

Many titles in Arcane Knowledge subject areas hail from small presses with limited print runs. In order to preserve access to the knowledge of these books, we have set aside many library-use-only copies to form an Arcane Knowledge Reference Collection. Because the Reference Collection includes many rare, out-of-print and irreplaceable books, these titles can only be accessed on the 3rd Floor of the Main Library.* These books will appear in our catalog with a location of MAIN - 3rd Floor - Page Desk/Ref.

For locating titles on subtopics within the Reference Collection, see the Navigating the Collection section above.

For assistance, please connect with staff at the Humanities Center Reference Desk: generalcollections@sfpl.org or 415-557-4545.

To view a book with location listed as MAIN - 3rd Floor - Page Desk/Ref:

1. Write down the call number on a slip of paper with the words “Page Desk/Ref”
2. Bring the slip to the Page Desk on the 3rd Floor of the Main Library.
3. Staff will page the book and take your library card or photo ID as collateral. You may take the book anywhere on the 3rd floor and read it until the Page Desk closes.
4. Return the book when you finish, and collect your library card/ID.
5. Revisit the Page Desk to view that book and/or others as many times as you like.

*For patrons who cannot physically visit the Main Library in person, select Reference materials may be sent to a branch location for viewing there. Please call or email us for more information: generalcollections@sfpl.org or 415-557-4545.