Tutorial: Call Numbers
What are they?
A call number is like an address - it tells you where the book is located in the library.
The University of Canterbury library, like most academic libraries, uses the Library of Congress Classification system. In this system, the call numbers start with letters of the alphabet.
- The first letter refers to the subject area, e.g. H - Social Sciences
- Sometimes another letter is added to refer to a more specific aspect of the subject, e.g. HF - commerce.
Books in the Education library are arranged by the Dewey Decimal Classification system. Most public and school libraries also use this system. In this system the call numbers start with numbers.
Reading Library of Congress Call Numbers (used by most UC libraries)
Reading Dewey Call Numbers (used in the Education Library)
What do call numbers tell you?
a. Book's Location
b. Book's Length
c. Book's Size
