Call Numbers
We use the Library of Congress Call Number system (scroll down to see more info about this system).
Currently, the call numbers map to our floors as...
Level 8: AC-DD249
Level 7: DD250-HD2499
Level 6: HD2500-JQ, N-NX
Level 5: JS-LH, P-PR999
Level 4: PR1000-Z
The Ms are located in the Music & Media Library on Lobby Level 4
QDs are at Chemistry
QH, QM, QP, QR, and SF are at Health Sciences
How Are LC Call Numbers Shelved?
(from http://people.wcsu.edu/reitzj/res/callnumbers.html)
Library of Congress call numbers usually have four or five lines or elements:
First line:
The first line can be either a single or a double letter. When a call number begins with a single letter (P) that is the same as the first letter of a second call number beginning with a double letter (PA), then the item bearing the call number with the single letter is shelved first (to the left) because in the United States, library materials are arranged in the way the English language is read: from left to right and top to bottom. For example, in the section for the Ps (language and literature), the correct sequence is P, PA, PB, PC, PD up to PZ, followed by Q, QA, QB, QC up to QZ (the section for the sciences) and so on.
Second line:
The second line of an LC call number is always a number from 1 to 9999, which may have a decimal extension (example: 9999.5) but extensions are less common in the LCC system than in Dewey Decimal Classification. If the letters on the first line of the call number are the same for two items, then the item with the smaller number on the second line is shelved to the left of the item with a larger number on the same line (example: PR22 before PR220 before PR2201). Please note that in Dewey Decimal Classification, the largest number is 999.99...
Third line:
The third line of an LC call number begins with a decimal point, followed by a letter and then a number. Items with call numbers that are the same up to the third line are shelved alphabetically according to the letter to the right of the decimal point. For example, a book with .G at the beginning of the third line is shelved to the left of a book with .H in the same position. When two books have the same letter to the right of the decimal point, the book with the smaller decimal number following the letter is shelved to the left of a book with a larger decimal number following the letter. For example, .G43 is shelved to the left of .G432 because .43 (or .430) is a smaller decimal number than .432. Following this example, all .G4 numbers (.G4, .G42, .G4224, .G43, etc.) are shelved to the left of all .G5 numbers.
Fourth and fifth lines:
The fourth line of an LC call number usually gives the year of publication (example: 2003). An earlier edition is shelved to the left of a later edition of the same work. For works published in more than one physical volume (for example, a multi-volume encyclopedia), the volume number appears on the fifth line of the call number, following year of publication, with the lower volume number (v.1) shelved to the left of the higher volume number (v.2, then v.3, and so on). In call numbers without a year of publication, the volume number appears on the fourth line.
You can quiz yourself on Library of Congress call number order at: people.wcsu.edu/reitzj/lcquiz/lcquiz.html.
From http://people.wcsu.edu/reitzj/res/lcclass.html#H: The Library of Congress classification system organizes books and other library materials according to subject, making it easy for you to browse the shelves for materials about a specific topic. Library of Congress call numbers begin with letters of the English alphabet. The letters identify the subject of the work, for example, the letter P at the beginning of a call number indicates that the work is about languageor literature. The call number also functions as a location code. You will find it taped to the lower spine of each item. It also appears in the library's online catalog (CONSULS) in the full catalog record representing the physical item.
Example: P 1344 .S48 1987
The title of the work with this call number is Mark Twain's Languages: Discourse, Dialogue and Linguistic Variety
In the following outline of Library of Congress classification, the major subject divisions are indicated by a single letter. The major divisions are subdivided into more specific categories, indicated by doubleletters. For example, works about English literature are assigned call numbers that begin with the letters PR.
Example: PR 4552 .A 1948
The title of the work with this call number is David Copperfield, a work by the English novelist Charles Dickens.
Library of Congress Classification
Return to Using Call Numbers screen
Call Numbers A-N (Haas Library - Fourth Floor)
A - General Works
AC - Collected Works
AE - Encyclopedias
AG - Dictionaries and other general reference works
AI - Indexes
AM - Museums
AP - Periodicals
AS - Academics and Learned Societies
AY - Yearbooks, Almanacs, Directories
AZ - History of Scholarship and Learning
B - Philosophy, Psychology, Religion
B - History and Systems of Philosophy
BC - Logic
BD - Speculative Philosophy
BF - Psychology
BH - Aesthetics
BJ - Ethics
BL - Religions, Mythology, Rationalism
BM - Judaism
BP - Islam, Bahaism, Theosophy
BQ - Buddhism
BR - Christianity (General)
BS - The Bible
BT - Doctrinal Theology
BV - Practical Theology
BX - Denominations and Sects
C - Auxiliary Sciences of History
CB - History of Civilization and Culture
CC - Archaeology (General)
CD - Diplomatics, Archives, Seals
CE - Chronology
CJ - Numismatics
CN - Epigraphy
CR - Heraldry
CS - Genealogy
CT - Biography (General)
D - History (except America)
D - History (General)
DA - Great Britain
DAW - Central Europe
DB - Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary
DC - France
DD - Germany
DE - Mediterranean, Greco-Roman World
DG - Italy
DH-DJ - Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg
DJK - Eastern Europe
DK - Russia and Poland
DL - Northern Europe and Scandinavia
DP - Spain and Portugal
DR - Eastern Europe and Turkey
DS - Asia
DT - Africa
DU - Oceania, Australia, New Zealand
E-F - History: America and United States
E - America (General) and United States
F1-F975 - United States (local history)
F1001-F1140 - Canada
F1201-F1392 - Mexico
F1401-3799 - Central and South American, Caribbean
G - Geography, Anthropology
G - Geography (General)
GA - Mathematical Geography, Cartography
GB - Physical Geography
GC - Oceanography
GE - Environmental Sciences
GF - Human Ecology
GN - Anthropology, Ethnology, Ethnography
GR - Folklore
GT - Manners and Customs
GV - Sports and Recreation
H - Social Sciences
H - Social Sciences (General)
HA - Statistics
HB - Economic Theory
HC - Economic History and Conditions
HD - Land, Agriculture, Industry
HE - Transportation and Communication
HF - Commerce
HG - Finance
HJ - Public Finance
HM -Sociology
HN - Social History
HQ - Social Groups
HS - Societies and Clubs
HT - Communities, Classes, Races
HV - Social Pathology, Criminology, Welfare
HX - Communism, Socialism, Anarchism
J - Political Science
J - Official Documents
JA - Collections and General Works
JC - Political Theory
JK - Constitutional History and Administration
JS - Local Government
JV - Colonization, Emigration and Immigration
JX - International Law, International Relations
K - Law
K - Law (General)
KF - United States Law
L - Education
L - Education (General)
LA - History of Education
LB - Educational Theory and Practice
LC - Special Aspects
LD - U.S. Educational Institutions
LH - College and School Publications
LJ - Student Fraternities and Societies
LT - Textbooks (General)
M - Music
M - Music Scores
ML - Literature of Music
MT - Music Instruction and Study
N - Fine Arts
N - Visual Arts (General)
NA - Architecture
NB - Sculpture
NC - Graphic Arts (Drawing, Design, Illustration)
ND - Painting
NE - Print Media
NK - Decorative and Applied Arts
NX - Arts in general
Return to Using Call Numbers screen
Call Numbers P-Z (Haas Library - Fifth Floor)
P - Language and Literature
PA - Classical Philology (Greek and Latin)
PB - Modern European Languages, Celtic Languages
PC - Romance Languages
PD - Old Germanic and Scandinavian Languages
PE - English Language
PF - Dutch, Flemish, and German Languages
PG - Slavic Languages and Literature
PH - Finno-Ugrian, Basque Languages & Literature
PJ-PL - Oriental Languages
PM - American Indian and Artificial Languages
PN - Literature, Literary History and Collections
PQ - Romance Literature
PR - English Literature
PS - American Literature
PT - German Literature
PZ - Children's Literature
Q - Science
Q - Science (General)
QA - Mathematics
QB - Astronomy
QC - Physics
QD - Chemistry
QE - Geology
QH - Natural History, Biology
QK - Botany
QL - Zoology
QM - Human Anatomy
QP - Physiology
QR - Microbiology
R - Medicine
R - Medicine (General)
RA - Public Aspects of Medicine
RB - Pathology
RC - Internal Medicine
RD - Surgery
RE - Ophthalmology
RG - Gynecology and Obstetrics
RJ - Pediatrics
RK - Dentistry
RL - Dermatology
RM - Therapeutics, Pharmacology
RS - Pharmacy and Materia Medica
RT - Nursing
RV - Botanic, Thomsonian and Eclectic Medicine
RX - Homeopathy
RZ - Other Systems of Medicine
S - Agriculture
S - Agriculture (General)
SB - Plant Culture
SD - Forestry
SF - Animal Culture
SH - Aquaculture, Fisheries, Fishing
SK - Hunting
T - Technology and Engineering
T - Technology (General)
TA-TJ - Engineering
TK - Electronics and Electrical Engineering
TL - Motor Vehicles, Aeronautics, Astronautics
TN - Mining and Metallurgy
TP - Chemical Technology
TR - Photography
TS - Manufactures
TT - Handicrafts, Arts and Crafts
TX - Home Economics and Cooking
U - Military Science
V - Naval Science
Z - History of Books, Library Science, Bibliography