How LC Call Numbers are Arranged on the Shelves
The average call number has four lines
on a book label, and each of those lines are read differently.
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The first line is made
up of
1-3 letters, and is read in alphabetical order.
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|
 |
The second line is
made up of
whole numbers, and is read numerically. The numbers in this line may
sometimes have decimals.
|
1
|
5
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25
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78
|
126
|
333
|
790
|
790.5
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1357
|
4274 |
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This
line
is called the
cutter number, which usually represents the author's last name, but can
also stand for the name of a corporation or the
book's title. It is
read first
alphabetically by letter, and then the numbers are read as a decimal.
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.D12
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.D3
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.G45
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.G5
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.G56
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.G564
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.G5643
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.G6
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.G67
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.H2 |
|
|
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The last line is the
year of
publication, and is read in chronological order.
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1654
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1776
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1796
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1854
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1910
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1959
|
1959b
|
1978
|
1999
|
2001 |
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Some labels, though, may have more than four lines.
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This call number has
two
cutter numbers. The first cutter number narrows the topic; in this case
.M7 stands for
Mississippi. The second cutter number on this label, I5,
represents the book's title. Both are read like the examples of cutter
numbers above.
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|
 |
Ending
the call number may be
letters or numbers designating the book's order in a series or set.
They are read either numerically (v.1, v.2, v.3, ...) or alphabetically
(ser.A, ser.B, ...). Some common examples are:
| v.1 |
Volume 1
|
| v.193(1998) |
Volume 193, year
1998
|
| v.37, no.2 |
Volume 37, Number 2
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| no. 305 |
Number 305
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| ser.B |
Series B
|
Suppl
|
Supplement
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The call number may also end with a copy number (c.2, c.3,
...).
This is used to tell multiple copies of the same book apart.
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LC Call Numbers Outline | How to Read LC Call Numbers | Understanding LC Call Numbers | Physical Locations in the Library | Comparing LC with Dewey
Content last updated June, 2004 TH
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