Solving the Mystery of...

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Solving the Mystery of...

• the L.C. Call
• Numbers

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Library of Congress Call Numbers

• Call numbers are used to group books by their
  subjects.

• Books with similar topics will shelve together.

• Books may fit into more than one subject category.

• Call numbers are based on the dominate topic.

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Library of Congress Classification System Outline

• A General works.
• Encyclopedias and Almanacs
• B - P Humanities and the Social Sciences
• Q - V Natural Sciences and
  Technology

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Letter combinations are used to express subsets
of a major heading.

• Q General Science
• QAMathematics and Computer Science
• QB-QEPhysical Sciences
• QH-QRBiological Sciences

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Decoding a Call Number Consider the book
Introducing Criminology by Clive Coleman
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Shelving by Call Numbers
Books are arranged in alphabetical order by the
first letter combination of the call number, then
in numerical order by the first set of numbers.,
then in alphabetical order by the specific book
section of the call number. The shelf where the
book Introducing Criminology is shelved might
look like this
HV 6025
.C582 2000
HV 6025 .D34 1997
HV 6025 .R47
HV 6025 .C65
HV 6021 .S33
HV 6025 .M6
HV 6028 .B44
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Call Number numbers
The first number in every call number is a whole
number.
HV 27 .C76
HV 217 .B56
HV 2017 .A45
HV 2017 .A456
HV 2017 .A52
HV 2017 .A6
These numbers are read as HV twenty-seven,
HV two hundred and seventeen,
HV two thousand and seventeen.
When you read them that way, it is apparent that
they are in the correct order numerically.
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Call Number numbers
The second set of numbers in each call number are
decimal numbers.
HV 27 .C76
HV 217 .B56
HV 2017 .A45
HV 2017 .A456
HV 2017 .A52
HV 2017 .A6
This second part of this number would be read as
point A four hundred fifty-six thousandths
(456/1000).
And this number would be point A fifty two
hundredths (52/100 which is larger that 456/1000
or 45.6/100).
So these call numbers are in the correct order
numerically.
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Call Number numbers
The second set of numbers in each call number are
decimal numbers.
HV 27 .C76
HV 217 .B56
HV 2017 .A45
HV 2017 .A456
HV 2017 .A52
HV 2017 .A6
This second part of this number would be read as
point A six tenths(6/10),
which is more than point A fifty-two hundredths
(52/100 . 6/10 60/100).
So these call numbers are in the correct order.
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The End
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