Literature in located on the 4th floor of the OSU Edmon Low Library in the 800s call number range.  The Dewey Decimal call numbers are organized by nationality and genre, and then works by and about an author are in alphabetical order using an alpha-numeric code to give each book a unique spot on the shelf. 

American literature is in the 810s:  811 poetry; 812 drama; and 813 fiction.  British literature is in the 820s:  821 poetry, 822 drama (with Shakespeare having his own call number, 822.33), and 823 fiction.  Although the Library collection is quite large, you can use the call number ranges to find books by and about an author.  For example, books by and about the American poet Robert Frost are start with the call number 811 F939, and then have additional letters or numbers for specific books after the F939. 

Literature in other languages is organized in a similar fashion (830s for German literature, 840s for French literature, 860s for Spanish-language literature, etc.)

WorldCat (for books or media, not articles) is a catalog database of library holdings worldwide.  Use it to search for books NOT necessarily at the OSU Library.  Use the "Borrow from another library" link when viewing a book/media record to access the Interlibary Services loan form to request the book from other libraries; that service is free to OSU students, faculty, and staff, but the other library determines how long you can keep the item.