"I've been looking for a long time andI Can't Find This Book!"How to Find a Book By Its Call Number!(In The Ohio State University Libraries)OSCAR Listing / Location Codes / Library of Congress Call Number / Cutter Numbers / Other Numbers / And Finally
Throughout most of our collection here at The Ohio State
University Libraries the numbers on the spine of each book, are based upon
the
Library of Congress Cataloging
System
, with a few minor differences.
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(click on the image to see the actual record)
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Here, you can find out the Location in the library system,
where you can find this book; the Call Number under which this book
is shelved; and whether or not this book is AVAILABLE, or for USE IN LIBRARY only, or when it's DUE after being checked out;
or if it was sent to the BINDERY; or if it's MISSING.
The Call Number is PS3539
H93 Z8 T6, and it's Status is AVAILABLE to be checked
out in each location except in Rare Books where it can only be read in
the library.
The Call Number for each book, including our example, is printed on a label
on the spine of the book (or the lower left corner of the front cover) like this:
The Locations where copies of this book are kept are the Main Library Stacks, the OSU Book Depository, the Rare Books Stacks, the Mansfield Campus Library Stacks, the Newark Campus Library Stacks, and the Marion Campus Library Stacks. In addition to OSU's Main Library, there are many different branch libraries, such as the Marion Campus Library and collections, such as Rare Books where books are kept, and these Location Codes will be your first direction for where you need look for your book. ("Stacks" simply means the shelves where the books are kept.)
Columbus Campus Locations / Main Library Location of Books / Libraries and Collections
MAR is a Location Code
that tells you that this book is in the Marion Campus Library Stacks.
So, now let's go look for it in the Marion Campus Library
Stacks.
PS is a Library of
Congress subject code. Books are shelved alphabetically by
these letters. "P" stands for Language and Literature, and "PS" is
for American Literature. A full listing of these codes is available
at the OSU Libraries Information Desk, the OSU Libraries Reference Desk
or at LIBRARY
OF CONGRESS CLASSIFICATION OUTLINE.
The number 3539
is a further subdivision of the "PS" subject heading. This is a WHOLE
NUMBER!!! (Three Thousand Five Hundred
Thirty Nine.) Books with the numbers "3", "36", "369", and "3538.9"
will all be shelved to the left, before this book, in this order.
Books with higher numbers such as "3539.1" and "3570" will be shelved to
the right, after this book, also in this order.
PS3 PS36 PS369 PS3538.9 PS3539 PS3539.1 PS3570
Occasionally, this whole number will include a decimal fraction, as in the above "PS3538.9". If the book you are looking for has this kind of number, it will be shelved after the number without the decimal fraction, but before the next whole number, like this:
PS3539 PS3539.1 PS3540
The next letter/number combination is called a Cutter Number, and is based upon the author's name, or the title of the book, or another designation established by the book's cataloger. While most books usually have only one or two cutter numbers, this book has three:
H93 Z8 T6
The book will be arranged alphabetically by the "H":
PS3539 .G PS3539 .H PS3539 .K
and then by the number that follows the "H". Note that even there is no decimal point, this is a Decimal Number:
PS3539 .H922 PS3539 .H93 PS3539 .H95
Because it's a decimal number, it
should be read as "H point nine three". Note also that because it's
a decimal number, 93 is larger than 922, and that H922 goes before H93,
while H95 comes after H93.
The next number, "Z8", and the one
that follows it, "T6", for this book are also Cutter Numbers.
Other numbers that usually follow the Cutter Numbers
are the Year of Publication (for this book it would be 1969),
which are arranged in their respective numerical order, and Volume
Numbers (V.1)
and Copy Numbers (C.2)
which are also arranged numerically. The periods in "V.1" and "C.2",
are abbreviation points ("V" for volumn, and "C" for copy), not decimal points.
The Marion Campus Library's copy of this book is C.7.
With this information, you should now be able to find
your book, but if you still need help, ask the Library Staff, who will
be happy to help you.
Also (now that you know the system), don't worry about reshelving books, we have staff and student workers who will
happily (because they get paid to do it) reshelve the books for you.