Call Numbers

Call Numbers
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 numbers appear on the spines of books and in the online catalog.

Note that the same call number can be written from top to bottom, or left to right. The Ancilla College Library uses Dewey Decimal Classification for call numbers. This system uses a hierarchical grouping of numbers to arrange materials by subject. Reading Call Numbers
595.78 T916B 1972	Read the first line as a whole number.
	Read the second line alphabetically first, then take each digit individually

The third line is the year the book was published. Read this line in chronological order. (1906, 1991, 2004...)
Putting Call Numbers in Shelf Order To understand how call numbers are put in order in Dewey Decimal Classification, again look at each section of the call number.

What Does the Call Number Mean? Remember that Dewey Decimal Classification arranges materials by subject. The first line of the call number represent the subject of the book. The second line represents the author's last name. As you probably recall, the third line, if present, is the date of publication. For example:
Title Butterflies & Moths: A Kaleidoscope of Living Color Author Tweedie, Michael Call Number 595.78 T916B 1972
595.78	The first line of the call number describes the subject of the book. 500 = natural science, 590 = animals, 595 = arthropods, 595.7 = insects, 595.78 = butterflies and moths
T916B	The second line represents the authors last name, and keeps books alphabetized.
1972	The third line represents the year of publication.
Why is this important to know? Since books are classified by subject, you can often find several helpful books on the same shelf, or nearby. For example, within the same call number 595.78,the call number that represents butterflies and moths, there are other books on that subject. Since Dewey Decimal Classification arranges materials by subject, knowing the numbers for your subject area gives you a place to start browsing the shelves.