1.2.3 Understand call numbers

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The main classification scheme used by UC Library is the Library of Congress Classification (LCC) system. The Law Collection uses Moys which is a specific law classification system. Law materials are designated by the letter K and are located in a separate section on Level B of the Library.

All parts of a call number must be recorded if you are to find the item on the shelf. Spaces and decimal points separate the different parts of the call number. These punctuation marks must be written down correctly in order to find the item on the shelf.

In the catalogue, the call number will be written all on one line.

For example:

A book called The Howard factor: a decade that changed the nation/ edited by Nick Cater, published in 2006, has the following call number:

DU 117.17.H67 2006

This will appear on the spine of the book in four or five lines:

DU
117
.17
.H67
2006

The parts of a call number

There are several important parts of the call number to note:

1. Library of Congress Classification (LCC) number

Example:  DU 117.17.H67 2006

In LC Classification, the first letter of the call number indicates the general subject area or discipline. If there is a second letter at the beginning of the call number, it specifies the subsection or subdiscipline within the general subject area. In the example given above, the first D in the call number indicates that the book is a work of history. The second letter U, indicates that it is a work relating to Oceania (South Seas), which includes Australia.

 

Here is a brief listing of LCC letters assigned to subjects:

A = General works	J = Political Science	R = Medicine
B-BJ = Philosophy	K = Law	S = Agriculture
BF = Psychology	L = Education	T = Technology, Engineering
BL-BX = Religion	M = Music	U = Military Science
C,D,E,F = History	N = Fine Arts	V = Naval Science
G = Geography, Anthropology, Recreation	P = Language & Literature	Z = Bibliography, Printing, Publishing
H = Social Sciences, Business	Q = Math, Science, Computer Science

Each book is assigned a call number which designates both its subject and also its place on the shelf. As seen in the example above, the first part of the number is one or two letters indicating the broad subject areas. The second part is numbers which indicates a further subdivision of the general subject. The third part is a letter and number code for the author's name or the main title if there's an editor rather than an author.

You can now commence your background reading. How will you determine what key concepts to focus on?

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