How to read a call number
The Undergraduate Library and most of the other UIUC Libraries use a modified Dewey Decimal classification system to keep their books in order. Libraries not using the Dewey system use the Library of Congress (LC) classification system.
In the Dewey Decimal classification system, books on similar subjects are grouped together by means of their call numbers.
The main Dewey Decimal classes are:
000 Generalities
100 Philosophy and psychology
200 Religion
300 Social Sciences
400 Language
500 Natural sciences and mathematics
600 Technology (Applied sciences)
700 The arts (fine and decorative)
800 Literature and rhetoric
900 Geography and history
(
To see all 1,000 numbers spelled out, see our full Dewey Decimal system chart.)
Each class is further subdivided at the hundred divisions and the the thousand sections. Numbers are placed after a decimal point to further identify material more specifically by subject.
Making sense of a call number
Here is a sample of a book title and Dewey decimal call number. Note how, as we analyze the call number, each line leads to more specific information about the book's topic:
142.780973 C826e |
Existential America by George Cotkin |
100 |
Philosophy & psychology |
140 |
Specific philosophical schools |
142 |
Critical philosophy |
142.7 |
Phenomenology |
142.78 |
Existentialism |
142.780973 |
About Existentialism in America (0973 at the end means history and description about America) |
Cutter Numbers
The second line in the call number is called the Cutter number, and it further distinguishes the book. The Cutter Number indicates the author of a book. In the case where there is no author, the title of the book is used. The Cutter Number is taken from a table matching names to a set of numbers.
Cotkin |
C826 |
If the author has several works in a subject area, you will see a work mark at the end of the Cutter Number. The work mark is usually the first letter or letters of the first distinctive word in the title.
Existential |
C826e |
Additional Numbers
Since the UIUC Library has such a large collection, there may be some additional information after the Cutter Number line.
Some examples include:
813 |
1994 is the year of the edition |
Q 503 |
Q means that the book is oversized. Oversized books may
be organized together or they may be integrated into the rest of the collection.
This depends on the library. |
813 |
cop.2 is the copy number |
Library of Congress Classification
Library of Congress classification looks different from than Dewey Decimal system because the item's subject identification begins with two to three letters followed by numbers. The first letter is the main class, which is similar to the first summary in Dewey. The second letter is called a subclass, and the following numbers further identify the topic. Here is an example of a LC classification:
ML3790
S5M62003
This classification is for a book about the music industry called This Business of Music: the Definitive Guide to the Music Industry.
For more information on the LC Classification, see the Library of Congress's site.
Updated: 1/08/2007
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