Finding Books in the Stacks

If you find a book that you are interested in checking out, your first course of action would be to find it in the stacks.

Each book has a call number that identifies the location of the item.

Books are shelved in alphabetical order, so if a call number is:

LC3501 .M3 A8 1966

You would locate the L’s, then pass LA & LB to LC…

Then follow regular numeration- 35, 350, 3000 until you find 3501…

Then follow the same logic with the letters and numbers that follow….

and Voila! Book found!

Finding Books in the StacksBCCC’s library books are shelved by Library of Congress Classification

This system organizes things by subject. Each major subject area is represented by a letter:

A - General Works H - Social Sciences Q - Science

B - Philosophy, Psychology, & Religion

J - Political Science R - Medicine

C - Auxiliary Sciences of History

K - Law S - Agriculture

D - General History & History of Europe

L - Education T - Technology

E - History: America M - Music & Books on Music

U - Military Science

F - History: America N - Fine Arts V - Naval Science

G - Geography, Anthropology, & Recreation

P - Language & Literature

Z- Bibliography & Library Science

Finding Books in the Stacks

Subject classifications are very broad in Library of Congress, so within each letter range is a further breakdown of subject matter. An Example:

Concepts of Athletic Training by Ronald P. Pfeiffer Call number: RC 1210 .P45 2005

(book is about sports medicine)R Medicine

RC Internal Medicine

1200-1245

Sports Medicine

P45 Author’s Name [Pfeiffer]

2005 Publication Date

Understanding what letter certain subjects fall under can help you browse for books in the stacks!

So if you are a teacher and regularly check out books from the library you know to go directly to the L’s to find education-related materials.