Arrangement of Books
on Shelves by Call
Number
Have you ever wondered how
library books are arranged on
shelves?
??
What is the call number?
What are call numbers for?
Each book in the library has a unique call number.
A call number is like an address: it tells us where
the book is located in the library.
Call number appears on
the spines of the books
QA
76.618
.K66
2005
AND
Appears in the online catalog
QA
76.618
.K66
2005
QA76.618.K66 2005
What does the call number
mean?
1. The first two lines describe the subject
of the book.
2. The letter-and-decimal section of the
call number often represents the
author's last name.
3. And, the last section of a call number is
the date of publication.
Putting Call Numbers in
Shelf Order
To understand how call numbers are put in
order, look at each section of the call number.
129 before 173
Putting Call Numbers in
Shelf Order
QC before QD
Putting Call Numbers in
Shelf Order
.C before .F
Putting Call Numbers in
Shelf Order
2002 before 2003
In short
HC29 INT 2002
comes before the below
because ‘C’ before ‘D’
HD28 ADV
comes before the below
because ‘0’ (i.e. 28 = 28.0)
comes before ‘1’
HD28.15 KEL
comes before the below
because ‘1’ comes before
‘6’
HD28.6 ETM 1993 -
Why Is This Important To
Know?
Because books are classified by subject, you can often find
se v e ra l h e l p f u l b o o ks o n the sa m e she lf , o r ne a rb y .
Accounting
Theory
Management
Accounting
Financial
Accounting
Financial
Accounting: A
User
Perspective
Introduction
To Financial
Accounting
Location Prefixes
Location prefixes mean that book is shelved in a special
place, and may have loan restrictions.
UTAR Library uses the following location prefixes:
Prefix
Collection
Loan Period
[Blank] Open Shelf
2 weeks
Dis
Library-use only
Dissertation
Ref
Reference
RS
Red-spot
Sem
Seminar Paper
Ser
Serial
Library-use only
2 hours/overnight
loan
Library-use only
Library-use only
When a call number looks like this :
BF637.C45W66 2004
This indicates that the book is shelved
on the Open Shelf.
Open Shelf Books
When a call number looks like this:
RS QA76.9.C66M67 2006
The RS prefix indicates the book
is shelved on the Red Spot Shelf.
Red Spot Books
When a call number looks like this:
Ref HF5382.5.M4.C37 2004
The Ref prefix indicates that the book
is shelved on the Reference Shelf.
Reference Books
For more information about call
numbers and finding library
materials, please ask the Reference
Librarians.