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Understanding Call NumbersLibrary of Congress Classification System Stevenson Library uses the Library of Congress Classification System, an alphanumeric system which groups books by subject catagories (also called "classes"). In this system you should be aware that:
The following call numbers are arranged in proper shelf order. Look at them closely to determine why. P90.4 Explanation First Line: A single letter comes first, followed alphabetically by a double letter. P comes before PA, which comes before PB, PE, PN, and so on. The letter(s) is followed by a WHOLE NUMBER, such as 217 and 1042 in the examples above. This number can range from 1 to 9,999 and is read in regular, whole number older. Second Line: This line is always read as a decimal, whether a letter precedes it or not. A decimal and a number comes before a decimal and a letter. If you find several books on a shelf having the same top line, their order will be determined by the second line. When a letter directly follows the decimal point, read the letters in alphabetical order first. For example, PN1042.J45 comes before PN1042.K293. If the letters are the same, the numbers that follow should be read in decimal order. Example PN1042.R293 In the example above, .R293 is smaller that .R444 and .R444 comes before .R45 because it is a decimal. In this way, .444 is smaller than .7. About the Library of Congress Classification Unlike Dewey, the classification scheme popular with school and public libraries, LC uses a combination of letters and numbers and does not try to categorize its collections into ten basic groups. The LC call number has three basic parts. Each one of these parts has a specific function. The first line of the call number is always one or two letters that represent the broad subject area of the book. At the present time, the LC classification divides a library collection into 21 subject areas (see below). When a second letter is sed, it indicates a major subdivision of the subject area. For example, "Q" stands for materials on the subject of Science, "QD" stands for materials dealing with "Chemistry and "QL" for materials dealing with Zoology. The second line of the call number is always a number or a series of numbers that represent specific topics in the subject area indicated by the first line. These numbers can range from 1 to 9999.999 and make the LC system very flexible and capable of absorbing new developments. Books dealing with the same or related subjects are shelved near each other. The third line is the one that designates a specific title. This line always starts with a decimal point. It may consist may consist of a single combination of a letter and number (.C44) or a double combination of letters or numbers (.P4C53). The majority of these combinations are the single one. Librarians sometime call such numbers "cutter" numbers. For example, "QL638.L55" is the specific call number for the book The Natural History of Sharks by Thomas H. Lineaweaver. Sometimes the third line is divided so it will fit better on the spine labels. To indicate different editions of the same title, the year of publication is added to the call number as a fourth line. To indicate the specific copy where there is more than one copy of the same title, a copy number (C.2, C.3) is added at the bottom of the call number. Some call numbers are more complex than others. If you remember to always go through the call numbers line by line you will have fewer problems. Never hesitate to ask at the reference desk for help if you have questions or are unable to locate library materials.
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