Library and Technology
Library of Congress Call Numbers
The Library of
Congress Classification System (LC)
How to read call
numbers in an academic library
Libraries use
classification systems to organize the books on the shelves. A
classification system uses letters and/or numbers (call numbers) to
arrange the books so that books on the same topic are together. This
arrangement assists in "subject browsing:" you find one book in
the catalog, go to the shelf, and, an even better book is sitting right
next to it.
Anatomy of a Library
of Congress Call Number
Book
title: Uncensored War: The
Media and Vietnam
Author: Daniel C. Hallin
Call Number: DS559.46 .H35 1986
The first two
lines describe the subject of the book.
DS559.45 = Vietnamese Conflict
The third line
often represents the author's last name.
H = Hallin
The last line
represents the date of publication.
Tips for Finding
Books on the Shelf
Read
call numbers line by line.
LB
Read the first line in alphabetical order:
A, B, BF, C, D... L, LA, LB, LC, M, ML...
2395
Read the second line as a whole number:
1, 2, 3, 45, 100, 101, 1000, 2000, 2430...
.C65
The third line is a combination of a letter and numbers. Read the letter
alphabetically. Read the number as a decimal, eg:
.C65 = .65 .C724 = .724
Some call numbers
have more than one combination letter-number line.
1991
The last line is the year the book was published. Read in chronological
order:
1985, 1991, 1992...
Here is a shelf of
books with the call number order explained.
