Logan
Library, like most academic libraries, organizes its collection
using the Library of Congress or LC classification system. LC's 21 main classes correspond largely to academic disciplines or areas of
study. Call numbers appear in the library's catalog and
on the spines of books and other materials. Always write
down the location and call number before going to
look for an item.
NOTE: Call numbers have been assigned to the Library's journal titles and to the electronic resources found in the catalog. Electronic resources cannot be found on the shelves but the journals are shleved alphabetically by title near the copiers.
Call
Number Basics
- Call
numbers bring together materials on the same subject.
- An
LC call number has four main parts and always begins
with a letter.
- LC
call numbers may appear on one line ( BF 341.5
.E18 1995 - as in the online catalog
display) or each part may be on a separate line
(as on book spine labels [see below] ).
- The
call number is required to find a book on the shelf.
Reading
the Call Number The
example below shows the four main parts of an LC call
number.
 |
PR Class
or subclass - alphabetical (A, AY,
B, BF ... H, HB, HD ... Z, ZA)
4571 Class
number - whole number ( 1,
2, 3 ... 100, 115, 170 ... 1100, 1101 ...)
.A1 Book
number - alphabetic, decimal ( .A1,
.A34, .A5 ... .C3, .C46, .C7 ...)
1949 Date
of publication - year of publication,
chronological order (1901, 1999, 2000) |
How to Find
the Correct Shelf, the Call Number Area, and Finally
the Book Itself
-
To
begin, find the appropriate shelf in the Library's
collection by using the signs attached to the ends
of the bookshelves. These signs show the first and
last call number that can be found on that bookshelf.
-
Walk
down the row of books looking for the first
two lines in the call number.
-
Books
are arranged alphabetically and then by
the first row of numbers (read as: ones,
tens, hundreds, thousands. A decimal point
does not change this basic rule.)
-
When
you find books with similar letters and numbers,
begin searching for the specific one you need.
-
The
third line and fourth lines of the call number
organize the books within the first two parts.
-
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