How LC Call Numbers are Arranged on the Shelves

LC Call Numbers Outline
How to Read LC Call Numbers
Understanding LC Call Numbers
How LC Call Numbers are Arranged on the Shelves
Physical Locations in the Library
Comparing LC with Dewey

The average call number has four lines on a book label, and each of those lines are read differently.

The first line is made up of 1-3 letters, and is read in alphabetical order.

The second line is made up of whole numbers, and is read numerically. The numbers in this line may sometimes have decimals.

126

333

790

790.5

1357

4274

This line is called the cutter number, which usually represents the author's last name, but can also stand for the name of a corporation or the book's title. It is read first alphabetically by letter, and then the numbers are read as a decimal.

.D12

.D3

.G45

.G5

.G56

.G564

.G5643

.G6

.G67

.H2

The last line is the year of publication, and is read in chronological order.

1654

1776

1796

1854

1910

1959

1959b

1978

1999

2001

Some labels, though, may have more than four lines.

This call number has two cutter numbers. The first cutter number narrows the topic; in this case .M7 stands for Mississippi. The second cutter number on this label, I5, represents the book's title. Both are read like the examples of cutter numbers above.

Ending the call number may be letters or numbers designating the book's order in a series or set. They are read either numerically (v.1, v.2, v.3, ...) or alphabetically (ser.A, ser.B, ...). Some common examples are:

v.1	Volume 1
v.193(1998)	Volume 193, year 1998
v.37, no.2	Volume 37, Number 2
no. 305	Number 305
ser.B	Series B
Suppl	Supplement

The call number may also end with a copy number (c.2, c.3, ...). This is used to tell multiple copies of the same book apart.

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Understanding LC Call Numbers

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Physical Locations in the Library

Last updated May 13, 2004