🔍 Understanding LC Call Numbers
Understanding LC Call Numbers
Most LC call numbers have 4 parts:
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Subject Letters – Broad subject (e.g. K = Law)
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Numbers – Narrower subject (e.g. K4000 = Transport and Communication)
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Cutter – Usually the author/title, read as a decimal (e.g. .S689 = S then 6, 8, 9)
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Year – Year of publication (e.g. 2024)
How Books Are Arranged on the Shelf:
Each line is read differently:
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Letters – Alphabetical (A, B, BF, D, etc.)
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Numbers – Numerical (123 before 124, 956 before 956.5)
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Cutter – Alphabetical + decimal. Treat the Cutter number as if there’s an imaginary decimal point. For example, read "A5023" as "A.5023" and "A51" as "A.51" — which is why "A5023" comes before "A51."
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Year – Chronological (2020 before 2022)
If you’re having trouble finding a book, just follow the signs on the sides of the shelves — they’re there to guide you!
