A call number is like a house address. It tells you where an item is located in a library. Each title owned by a library has its own unique call number.
Call numbers appear:
Note that the same call number can be written from top-to-bottom or left-to-right.
Call numbers are usually on the spine of a library item, so they can be easily read on book shelves.
Visit these websites for more information on the call numbers in the Library of Congress System.
First Line: Letters are filed alphabetically. Single letters are filed before double letters in terms of shelf arrangement. This series is in correct order: D DA DF DL DT
The first letter indicates a very broad subject area, which is made more specific by adding a second and sometimes third letter. K = Law in general KF = Law in the United States KFC = Law in California.
Second Line: This line is read as a whole number. Numbers on the second line can range from 1 to 9999 and can also have decimal point subdivisions.
Example: 32 (thirty-two) is shelved before 310 (Three hundred ten). Any number followed by a decimal point is filed decimally.
Examples: 8701 is shelved after 8700.7 8700.7 is shelved after 8700.17
Third Line: This line begins with a decimal point, followed by a letter and number sequence. The letters are read alphabetically and the number is read as a decimal.
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E 185.86 .P277 2010 |
Before |  |
E
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Fourth Line: Publication date. Filed chronologically. 1999, 2001, 2005, 2011
Fifth Line: Sometimes includes volume numbers. Filed chronologically. (v.1, v.2)