About Call Numbers

Call numbers are like addresses . Each book, video, or other material has its own unique address, “where it lives” on the shelf; there is also a note if there are additional copies (c.1, c. 2, etc.) or multiple volumes (v. 1, v. 2., etc.). You should write down the entire call number to properly locate an item. A Library of Congress Classification chart is available to help you find out which letter represents your broad subject. The Library of Congress maintains these more detailed charts to help you find a specific subtopic in the subject’s call numbers.

Browsing in Library of Congress Classification

Each subject has its own initial letters. For example, HD’s cover Business Management as a discipline, HV’s examine Social Work topics, QR’s are Microbiology topics, and RT’s are the best for Nursing topics. If you find items with a beginning letter that matches your subject in the LCC charts, you will likely obtain good information from it. If the book or video matches another subject’s beginning letter, it probably approaches the topic from a slightly different perspective.

Browse to your call number by starting at the beginning:
Alphabetically A - Z A…BF…HQ…HV…LB…PR…PS…QD…RT…Z
In P’s section:
PQ PR PS
Numerically 1 - 9999 In PR’s section:
PR5 | PR3515.B79 | PR3515.M2 |
PR3562 | PR3634 | PR9199.3
Again, alphabetically A - Z In PR3562’s section:
PR3562 .C
PR3562 .E
PR3562 .K
Again, numerically 1 - 9999 In PR3562 .K’s section:
PR3562 .K5
PR3562 .K6
Publication year 1500 - 2004 may be added, as well as additional letter/number combinations PR3562 .K655 1970
PR3562 .L4
PR3562 .L83 1998
PR3569.A9 T84 1965
PR3569.M54 P47 1934
PR3569.M54 Y67
PR3569.P37 A2 1990
LCC Basic Call Number Chart

Selected sub-topics are represented for each classification letter.
For more information, see the full description of how to use call numbers.

click blue, underlined text to view further information

  1. A — GENERAL WORKS
    1. AE — Encyclopedias
    2. AG — Dictionaries
    3. AI — Indexes
    4. AY — Yearbooks, Almanacs, and Directories
  2. B — PHILOSOPHY. PSYCHOLOGY. RELIGION
    1. BF — Psychology
    2. BJ — Ethics
    3. BL — Religions, Mythology, Rationalism
    4. BM — Judaism
    5. BP — Islam
    6. BR — Christianity
  3. C — AUXILIARY SCIENCES OF HISTORY
    1. CB — History of Civilization
    2. CC — Archaeology
    3. CS — Genealogy
  4. D — HISTORY (GENERAL) AND HISTORY OF EUROPE
    1. DA — Great Britain
    2. DAW — Central Europe
    3. DE — Greco-Roman World
    4. DJK — Eastern Europe
    5. DK — Russia
    6. DS — Asia
    7. DT — Africa
  5. E and F — HISTORY: AMERICA
    1. E — HISTORY: AMERICA
      1. E11-E143 — America (the continent)
      2. E151-E189 — United States (the country)
    2. F — HISTORY: AMERICA
      1. F1-F975 — United States local history
      2. F1201-F3799 — Latin America
  6. G — GEOGRAPHY. ANTHROPOLOGY. RECREATION
    1. GB — Physical Geography
    2. GC — Oceanography
    3. GE — Environmental Sciences
    4. GF — Human Ecology
    5. GN — Anthropology
    6. GV — Recreation, Leisure
  7. H — SOCIAL SCIENCES
    1. HA — Statistics
    2. HB — Economic Theory, Competition, Capitalism, Consumption and Demand, Welfare Theory
    3. HC — Economic History and Conditions
    4. HD — Industries, Land Use, Labor, Industrial Management, Industrial Productivity, Crisis Management, Risk Management
    5. HE — Transportation and Communications, Telecommunication Industry
    6. HF — Commerce, Business Ethics, Marketing, Office and Personnel Management, Industrial Psychology, Accounting
    7. HG — Finance, Money, Banking, Investment, Capital Formation
    8. HM — Sociology
    9. HN — Social History and Conditions
    10. HT — Communities, Classes, and Races
    11. HV — Social Pathology, Social and Public Welfare, Criminology, Social Service and Social Work
  8. J — POLITICAL SCIENCE
    1. JA — Political science (General)
    2. JF — Political Institutions and Public Administration
    3. JZ — International Relations
  9. K — LAW
    1. KF — United States Law
  10. L — EDUCATION
    1. LA — History of Education
    2. LB — Theory and Practice of Education, Teaching, Primary Education, Middle School Education, Secondary Education, Higher Education, School Administration and Organization
    3. LC — Special Aspects of Education, Social Aspects of Education, Community and School, Special Types of Education, Gifted Children and Youth, Socially Handicapped Children and Youth, Learning Disabled Children and Youth
  11. M — MUSIC AND BOOKS ON MUSIC
    1. ML — Literature on Music, History and Criticism, Philosophy of Music
    2. MT — Musical Instruction and Study
  12. N — FINE ARTS
    1. NA — Architecture
    2. NB — Sculpture
    3. ND — Painting
  13. P — LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
    1. P — Linguistics
    2. PE — English Language
    3. PN — Literature (General), Theory and Philosophy, Criticism, Literary History
    4. PR — English Literature
    5. PS — American Literature
  14. Q — SCIENCE
    1. QA — Mathematics, Computer Science
    2. QC — Physics
    3. QD — Chemistry
    4. QE — Geology
    5. QH — Natural Science, Biology
    6. QM — Human Anatomy
    7. QR — Microbiology
  15. R — MEDICINE
    1. RB — Pathology
    2. RC — Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, Sports Medicine (Athletic Training)
    3. RD — Surgery
    4. RG — Gynecology and Obstetrics
    5. RJ — Pediatrics
    6. RM — Therapeutics and Pharmacology
    7. RT — Nursing (General), Philosophy, Teaching and Instruction, History of Nursing
  16. S — AGRICULTURE
    1. SB — Plant culture
    2. SD — Forestry
    3. SF — Animal culture (Veterinary Technology)
  17. T — TECHNOLOGY (for computer science, use Q)
    1. TA — Engineering
    2. TK — Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering
    3. TR — Photography
    4. TX — Home Economics
  18. U — MILITARY SCIENCE
    1. UB — Military Administration
    2. UG — Military Engineering
  19. V — NAVAL SCIENCE
    1. VB — Naval Administration
    2. VC — Naval Maintenance
  20. Z — BIBLIOGRAPHY. LIBRARY SCIENCE. INFORMATION RESOURCES (GENERAL)
    1. Z — Book Industries and Trade, Bibliographies, Libraries
    2. ZA — Information Resources