Call Numbers: Locating Library Materials

Using Call Numbers
Locating Subject Areas by Call Numbers in the Christopher Center
Library of Congress Subject Heading (LCSH) Example
Alphabetical Listing of Subjects with Corresponding Call #'s

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Using Call Numbers

Each item in the Christopher Center Library collection has an identification number, known as a call number. Like an address, this number tells you where an item "lives" in the library. Library Services uses the Library of Congress system to assign call numbers to materials in the general stacks and in the Reference Room. The Government documents collection uses the SuDoc classification and LP records are arranged by recording company names.

You may be familiar with the Dewey Decimal system, used by many public and school libraries. The Library of Congress system follows much the same idea, but it uses a combination of letters and numbers (Dewey uses only numbers). A call number usually runs four lines when seen on a label.

The first line contains one or more letters (A, HB, Q, M, TK, etc.). These letters represent the main subject of the item. When books have more than one letter, the single lettered books are first on the shelf (to the left), followed by those with double letters
Example: in the N section, the order would be: N, NA, NB, NC, ND, and so on.

The second line is always a whole number from 1-9,999. If the letters on the first line of the call number are the same, the book with the smaller number on the second line is shelved to the left of the book with the larger number.
Example (on a shelf):

N 64

is to the left of

N 101

The third line is always a decimal point, followed by a letter and a number. Books are shelved alphabetically according to the letter after the decimal point.
Example (on a shelf):

N 64 .H413

is to the left of

N 64 .M41

If two books share the same letter after the decimal, the book with the smaller decimal number is shelved to the left of the book with the larger decimal number.
Example (on a shelf):

N 64 .H413

is to the left of

N 64 .H47

Example of these four books on a shelf:

N 64 .H413

N 64 .H47

N 64 .M41

N 101

The fourth line may be a year of publication or volume number, with earlier editions and lower volume numbers shelved to the left of later works and higher volume numbers. The fourth line may be a letter-number combination that functions decimally like the third line, but without the decimal point.

The call number used as an example is for a book in the library's collection, Aesthetics: Lectures on Fine Art, by G. W. F. Hegel. Its call number unfolds as follows:

 N        = Fine Arts
 64       = Visual arts, general
.H413  = a letter and decimal representing the author
1975    = year of publication

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Locating Subject Areas by Call Numbers in the Christopher Center

Please note:
Reference books are arranged by the same number system and are located on the 2nd floor.
Current (2000-current) journals and magazines are arranged by the same number system and are located on the 1st floor.

Call Number		Subject Topic
A		General 3rd floor
B-BJ		Philosophy, Psychology  3rd floor
BL-BX		Religion 3rd floor
C		History of Civilization, Archaeology, Genealogy, Collective Biography  3rd floor
D		History: World, General; Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, Gypsies 3rd floor
E		History: United States, General 3rd floor
F		History: United States, Local; Canada; South and Central America 3rd floor
G		Geography, Anthropology, Sports  3rd floor
H		Economics, Business, Sociology, Social Work  3rd floor
J		Political Science  3rd floor
K		Law  3rd floor
L		Education  3rd floor
M		Music  4th floor
N		Fine Arts and Architecture  4th floor
P		Language and Literature  4th floor
Q		Science  4th floor
R		Medicine, Nursing  4th floor
S		Agriculture  4th floor
T		Engineering, Photography, and Home Economics  4th floor
U-V		Military and Naval Science  4th floor
Z		Library Science, Printing and Publishing  4th floor

Library of Congress Classification System  (in detail)

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Library of Congress Subject Heading (LCSH)

Example entry		Explanation
Censorship (May Subd Geographically)		Heading If in bold type, use it in GALILEO searches; if in regular type, use suggested alternate word(s). (May Subd Geographically) means that place names may follow the heading.
UF   Book censorship         Books-Censorship         Intellectual freedom         Literature-Censorship		UF: Used for These are synonyms that are not used in GALILEO.
		The following types of terms are used in GALILEO if resources are available on that topic:
BT  Church-Teaching office         Literature and morals		BT: Broader terms
RT  Condemned books         Expurgated books         Index librorum prohibitorum         Prohibited books		RT: Related terms
SA   subdivision Censorship under names of individual persons, individual wars, individual literature's, and topical headings, e.g. Shakespeare, William 1564--1616--Censorship World War, 1939--1945--Censorship English literature--Censorship		SA: See Also
NT  Book burning         Freedom of the press         Libraries-Censorship         Prior restraint		NT: Narrower terms

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