How are the library books organized? (Or, what do all the numbers and letters on the stickers on the books’ spines mean—and why should you care?)

Most of the books and some of the other materials in IHE Library are organized with the Library of Congress (LC) classification system.  This system keeps books on similar topics close together, which makes finding different books on the same subject easier for you.  The first letter of the call numbers, the group of letters and numbers on stickers on the books’ spines, tells you the book’s general subject, as follows:

A   General works

B   Philosophy, psychology, religion

C   Auxiliary sciences of history (such as archeology, civilization, and genealogy)

D   World history and history of Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, etc.

E   History of the Americas

F   History of the Americas (by location)

G   Geography, anthropology, recreation

H   Social sciences (including economics and sociology)

J   Political science

K   Law

L   Education

M   Music and books on music

N   Fine arts

P   Language and literature

Q   Science (including math and computers)

R   Medicine

S   Agriculture

T   Technology

U   Military science

V   Naval science

Z   Bibliography, library science, and information resources (general)

 

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Question for you to consider:  In which of these categories do you think someone in your field of study would find useful books?

Some books’ call numbers also have a second letter after the first (and occasionally even a third letter).  This is for the book’s subject’s subclass.  For example, the book 3-2-1 Code It! (ISBN 9781111540586) by Michelle A. Green has the call number RB115 .G74 2012.  A book like this with a call number beginning with an R is about medicine; the second letter, B, shows that this book is about pathology—a specific type of medical science.  Here are some common subclasses of subjects that you can find at the IHE Library:

Starting with B (Philosophy, psychology, religion)

BF   Psychology

Starting with G (Geography, anthropology, recreation)

GV   Recreation, leisure (including sports and fitness)

Starting with H (Social sciences)

HB   Economic theory, demography

HD   Industries, land use, labor

HF   Commerce (including business, accounting, and bookkeeping)

HG   Finance (including insurance)

HV   Social pathology, social and public welfare, criminology (including forensic investigation)

Starting with K (Law)

KF   United States law

Starting with L (Education)

LB   Theory and practice of education

Starting with P (Language and literature)

PE   English language (including writing and grammar)

PN   Literature (general)

PR   English literature

PS   American literature

Starting with Q (Science)

QA   Mathematics (including computers)

QD   Chemistry

QM   Human anatomy

QP   Physiology

QR   Microbiology

Starting with R (Medicine)

RA   Public aspects of medicine

RB   Pathology

RC   Internal medicine

RD   Surgery

RG   Gynecology and obstetrics

RK   Dentistry

RM   Therapeutics, pharmacology

RS   Pharmacy and materia medica

RT   Nursing

Starting with T (Technology)

TX   Home economics (including cooking and nutrition)

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Question for you to consider:  In which of these subcategories do you think someone in your field of study would find useful books?

After the first letter or letters (which number between one and three), the call number includes numerals.  This it to identify a book’s subject even more specifically.  In our example of 3-2-1 Code It!’s call number, RB115 .G74 2012, we know that RB means pathology.  RB115 refers to a specific type of pathology:  nosology, the study of coding medical diagnoses. 

What does the next group of letters and numbers in the 3-2-1 Code It!’s call number mean?  This part of the number, G74, is called the cutter number.   In this case, G74 refers to the author’s last name, Green.  G is obviously that name’s first letter; 74 shows roughly where in the alphabet the next letters are.  If you’d like to know more about how the cutter numbers represent different letters, you can visit the MIT Library Oasis at http://libstaff.mit.edu/colserv/cat/lc/lc-cut.htm.  The cutter number does not always refer to the author’s last name; if a book does not have a single main author, the number can refer to the book’s title.

What about the last four digits in the call number RB115 .G74 2012?  You probably can guess what 2012 means:  the year when the book was published and/or received a copyright.

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Question for me to answer:  But how does this help you?

All our books that are mostly about coding have call numbers beginning with RB115.  Most of our books are placed in call number order.  Therefore, the books with call numbers that begin the same way are together on the bookshelves.  Once you find one book, you can look around that book in the shelves to find more books on the same topic.  If you can’t find all the information you need in one book, look in its neighbors.

To learn more about the specifics of LC call numbers, visit  The Library of Congress Classification Outline at http://www.loc.gov/aba/cataloging/classification/lcco/.

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Question for me to answer:  Why do some spine stickers have letters besides the LC numbers on them?

In these cases, the letters refer to books and other materials that belong in a specific section of the library bookshelves.

·         FACULTY--for the faculty only

·         CARDS--for sets of flashcards  

·         DVDs and CDs

·         HCI –For books formerly used at the Harrison Career Institute

·         LARGE BOOKS--for books too large to fit vertically on a shelf

·         PERIODICALS--magazines, journals

·         BOUND PERIODICALS--issues of periodicals place in a hard-bound cover

·         GOV DOCS--government documents

·         REF—reference materials, not to be removed from the library

·         KITS--boxes with books and other materials

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Question for me to answer:  Why do some of the call numbers start with W if none of the LC numbers begin with W?

Many of the books in our library were generously donated to us by the George F. Smith Library at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.   Smith Library uses a different system, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) classification schedule, to organize its books.  In this system, books on medicine and related subjects have call numbers beginning with W. 

So why didn’t the librarian give the books LC numbers in order to keep books on similar subjects together?

In some cases, I did, but Smith Library’s books are mostly geared toward current and future doctors and dentists.  Most of our other medical books are more appropriate for our students, who are learning to become medical and dental assistants and coders, healthcare managers, fitness and physical trainers, phlebotomists, EKG technicians, and massage therapists.  Our students may find some of the W books useful, but most of the time, our R books will be the best ones for them to use.  To learn more about the NLM classification schedule, visit http://www.nlm.nih.gov/class//OutlineofNLMClassificationSchedule.html.