Learning about Call numbers

What is Call number?

What is a call number? A call number is location tool used to identify individual books, periodicals, or audio visual media within a your library.

Call numbers can be between one line and five lines. Each Line of a call number identified specific information about the book. This information includes: Book Type Location Author’s name Year of Publishing Number of copies

Book Type How does a call number tell you what type of book you have? Call numbers define if a book is fiction, non fiction, Reference, biography, or children material, oversize, or even large print. Call numbers can even tell you if the author of a book is anonymous

Fiction books are alphabetical by the first three letters of the authors last name. Non-Fiction books have a combination of number and letters in the call number. Biographies will either be classified by the full last name of the bio subject, or 92.

Location The primary purpose of a call number : is to tell you the location of the book on the shelf. Think of Call numbers and the books address.

Non-Fiction Books Book Title: The book of enlightened masters : western teachers in eastern traditions Author: Andrew Rawlinson Call Number: BL1032.R38 1998 The first two lines describe the subject of the book BL1032 = Asia--Religion, spiritual biography The third line represents the author's last name R = Rawlinson The last line represents the date of publication

The Structure of a Call number Line 1 : Location  Line 2: Author or Non-Fic number Line 3: Author or Copy right year Line 4: copy number or copy right year

Can different books have the same call number? Yes they Can! Fiction books by the same author will have the same call number. Non- Fiction books within the same subject area will as well.

Where are they located?