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Lynn University Library Assistants' Guide

Everything you need to know to be a successful library assistant!

LC Training

Lynn Library utilizes the Library of Congress (LC) classification system  to organize all library materials. It is important to understand the LC system because you will use it on a daily basis. It is not important that you memorize all the subject headings, but you will need to have a basic understanding in order to shelve and shelf-read material.

All students must be proficient with the Library of Congress (LC or LOC) organization. The only way to learn this is by studying the materials provided here. Shelving correctly is a very important part of your job, and it takes time to learn this specific organizational system.

Here are a few excellent tutorials on basic LC.

Introduction to LC Call Numbers

1. The Lynn Library uses the LC (Library of Congress) classification system to organize our collections. Each library item has a unique call number which is one piece of information that helps us determine where an item is located on our shelves. The call number is similar to a street address. The call number follows a set pattern, starting with a letter or combination of letters assigned to a specific subject area. The next line is usually a number, followed by a line with a letter and a number, and so forth. The call number is always in alphabetical and numerical order. When putting library items in order, you will compare each line until you find a difference. 

EXAMPLES:

HB HB LB LB LB
119 119 1576 1576 1576
.A3 .A5 .A2 .A28 .A29


2. One basic rule of this system is this: Nothing comes before something. Therefore, a book with a call number beginning with H will come before a book with a call number beginning with HB. This rule holds true throughout the call number, line by line.

 

3. When there are different editions or multiple copies of the same book, volumes in a set, or books in a series, the basic call numbers will be identical, but each one will end with a line indicating the copy number, the edition year, the volume, etc.. These should be put in numerical or chronological order. Remember, nothing comes before something.

EXAMPLES:

AP AP H H HV HV PQ PQ
4 4 63 63 6035 6035 2161 2161
.S75 .S75 .E75 .E75 .V6 .V6 .C6 .C6
v.1 Index   c.2   1979 v.3 v.7

Again, simply compare line by line until the call numbers are different, and follow the rules for alphabetical, numerical, and/or chronological order. Note that indexes go at the end of a set.

 

4. Another basic rule involves the decimal point in the third line. This is a decimal point, and it acts like a decimal point, which will affect the numerical order for all numbers following the decimal point, including numbers on subsequent lines.

EXAMPLES:

PN PN PR PR
56 56 5881 5881
.R27 .R4 .R7 .R7
    M32 M5

In the first of the above examples, .R27 comes before .R4 because .27 is a smaller number than .4.

In the second example, .R7 M32 comes before .R7 M5 because .32 is a smaller number than .5.

If you find yourself having difficulty with this, there are some tricks you can use. The first one is to add zeroes to the numbers after the decimal point to make the number of digits equal, and then it will be easier to see which number is actually smaller (remember, the rules of mathematics dictate that adding zeroes on the end of a number after a decimal point does not affect the value of that number).

Another trick is to go line by line UNTIL you reach the decimal point, and then go digit by digit, stopping as soon as you find a difference; whichever of the numbers is smaller at this point will come first.

 

5. Some areas have special patterns. Again, remember the basic rule of Nothing Before Something, and you should have little trouble.

The K section is one of these areas. At the beginning of the section are call numbers with nothing in the second line; later, the section returns to the usual pattern, and then, later still, has some call numbers which start with 3 letters.

EXAMPLES:

K K KF KFC
.F45 .T13 545 54
    .Z95 .B87
    L4  

Note that the KF number comes after all the K numbers, including the K .F numbers.

Also, the KFC number comes after the call numbers beginning with two letters. This all follows the line by line and the Nothing Before Something rules.

 

6. There are other areas that occasionally have different lines. Most of these can be organized numerically.

EXAMPLES:

E E G G
321.2 321.2 202 202
12TH 16TH 1682 1743
.A41 .A36 .B12 .A3

Note first that a decimal point appearing in the middle of a line is valid for that line only; it does not carry over to subsequent lines like a decimal point at the beginning of the second, third, or fourth lines.

.Next, note that you simply compare lines until you find the first difference, and organize the call numbers from that point.

 

7. Occasionally, you may encounter call numbers that have two different lines beginning with decimal points. Remember to follow the line by line and Nothing Before Something rules for guidance.

EXAMPLES:  

HD HD HD
5325 5325 5325
.A82 .A82 .A82
1934 1936-37 J44
.T65 .F5 1986
1988    

With these three call numbers, note that the difference first appears in the fourth line. The first two numbers have a year in the fourth line, while the last one has another letter-number combination. Therefore, the first two books appear to have the same basic call number: HD5325 .A82, and are then organized in chronological order by the year appearing in the fourth line.

Another item with the same basic call number followed only by a year would also be organized in chronological order by the year because this is the line where the first difference appears.

The third example above goes after the others because it has a longer basic call number, adding J44 after the .A82, so using the Nothing Before Something rule, this book would come after the two with HD5325 .A82 as the basic call number.

The final result of the line by line rule is that it really doesn't matter that the first and second call numbers have an additional decimal point in the fifth line, because you have already determined that the difference occurs in the fourth line and you decide the proper organization at that point.

 

8. The PZ section is also a little different. These are fiction books, and all books by the same author will have the same basic call number, ending with a line constructed from the title. Use this last line to organize books by the same author in alphabetical order.

EXAMPLES:

PZ PZ PZ PZ
3 3 3 3
.M583 .M583 .R396 .R396
Co Dr C1 C12

If you remember the rule of comparing line by line until you find the difference and organizing from that point, the PZs should give you no trouble.

 

9. Some areas of the PS section also present difficulties, simply because there will be long call numbers with the only difference appearing near the very end. These are literature books, and all books about a particular author or literary figure will be grouped together. The following examples are all books about Ernest Hemingway.

EXAMPLES:

PS PS PS PS PS
3515 3515 3515 3515 3515
.E37 .E37 .E37 .E37 .E37
Z577 Z58234 Z5826 Z5843 Z584413
  1988 1983    

In this section, you must be very careful to go line by line, or even digit by digit, remembering the decimal point rules. It is very easy to make mistakes here, so concentrate.

 

10. Some call numbers have a decimal point in the middle of a line. Use regular numerical order for these, as in this string: 8, 8.5, 9, 9.2, 9.4, etc. The Nothing Before Something rule also applies here.

EXAMPLE ONE:  

QD QD QD QD
31 31 31.2 32
.F42 .F7  .F56 .F3
1965 1956    

EXAMPLE TWO:    

QA QA QA QA
76.73 76.73 76.9 78
.P2 .P2 .C65 .A46
K44 L425 S92 1955 
1982 1986 1980  

 

11. Remember to use normal numerical order for the second line of a call number - watch carefully here.

EXAMPLES:

DK DK DK HQ HQ HQ
27 28 275 76 76 763
.T9 .A83 .K5 .T4 .W4 .U5
    A32   1968 G37
          1987

 

12. Although the number 0, or zero, may appear within a call number, it is never used to begin a line. The letter O will sometimes appear at the beginning of a line, but never in the middle of a line. Since these two symbols can easily be mistaken for each other, be sure to make this distinction between them.

EXAMPLES:

PA PR
3829 6045
.O8 .O72
Z886  
1982  

In the first example above, the third line will read: decimal point, letter O, numeral 8. Since the symbol appears at the beginning of a line, you know it must be the letter O rather than the number 0, or zero. In the second example, the second line reads six thousand forty-five, and the third line reads decimal point, letter O, numeral seventy-two. Since the symbol appears in the middle the second line, it must be a zero there, and since it appears at the beginning of the third line, it must be the letter O there.

 

13. There are undoubtedly other variations that aren't outlined here. If you keep the basic rules in mind, work carefully from line to line, and follow standard alphabetical, numerical, and chronological order, you should be able to figure these out as you encounter them.

Additional Resources

Videos

How to Read Library of Congress Call Numbers https://youtu.be/ozS53kEXmgE

LC Call Numbers (Santa Clara Univ. video) https://youtu.be/zEVc00BJv4k

How to… LC Call Number (Univ of Arkansas Libs) https://youtu.be/4djuA5ZfOWE

Library of Congress (LC) Tutorial https://youtu.be/pryz_ohPzg4

 

 

Additional Tools & Quizzes (Required)

Kent State University LC Tutorial & Quizzes

This is an excellent resource. Please go through the tutorial, then take the quizzes. It lets you know immediately if you make a mistake so you can fix it. As you complete each quiz, please use "Control P" to print the results to a PDF, then email it to your supervisor.

https://www.library.kent.edu/university-libraries/library-congress-tutorial-call-number-and-shelving

QUIZ (Required)

When you feel like you are ready, please take the following quiz. 

Activity:   LC Call Number Order - Quiz 1

URL:        http://www.quia.com/rd/15746.html

Click on “Play this game!”

When you are finished, click on “Check answers

If you have any wrong, click on “reorder answers” and try again.

You get five attempts to put them in order, and they leave the correct ones there, so it gets easier as you go. If you still don’t have them 100% correct, they offer you the answers. Take a look and see if you can figure out where you went wrong.

Then click “start over” and try again!

When you get them all in perfect order, take a screenshot and email it to your supervisor.