The document provides a beginner's guide to the Library of Congress classification system and call numbers, outlining key concepts such as the structure of call numbers, the use of cutter numbers, and how to identify and format these numbers in bibliographic records. It emphasizes understanding various classifications, including how similar subjects may be cataloged differently, and provides examples of call numbers for literary works and their specific components. Additionally, it offers resources for further learning and outlines what the presentation does not cover.

1. Beginner’s Guide to Library of Congress
Classification & Call Numbers
Adjunct Librarian Orientation
Saturday January 9, 2015
Siew-Ben Chin

2. • To identify the different elements & components in LC Call #.
• To identify call numbers that are incomplete or not properly formatted in
our bib. Records.
• To identify some “unusual” call numbers in bib. Records.
• To explain why two books on similar subjects are cataloged in different
classifications.
• A look at the call numbers of literary works of American individual
authors to see how Cutter numbers are used and assigned.
What this presentation is not:
It is not meant to show you how to assign LC call numbers or how to catalog
Objectives of the Presentation

3. QA
76
.B37
5
2012
21 Main
Classes
Sub-
Classes Sub- Classes with
divisions 1-9999
LC classification is Hierarchical – from very broad to very
specific

4. Structure of a Library of Congress Call Number:
• 21 Main classes using letters (except for I, O, W, X, Y)
• Sub-classes with letters and numbers
• subdivisions with Arabic numerals 1-9999
• 2 parts
class # or subclass # (sometimes with decimal
extension)
the book cutter number by main entry (author or title)
• Can have single or double cutters
BL
311
.H345
2013
GV
884
.J63
H282
1989
single cutter
double cutters
A Few Bare-bone Facts …

5. True or false
All LC Classification main classes are represented
by the letters of the alphabets except the following:
• O
• W
• X
• Y

6. 050 00 |a Q171 |b .N69 2011
100 1_ |a Novak, Igor.
245 10 |a Science : |b a many-splendored thing
650 _0 |a Science.
Q Main Class (one letter)for Science
171 Subclass “General”
.N69 Cutter by main entry (creator)
2011 pub. year
Call Number with a Single Letter for Main Class and a single cutter

7. 05000 |a ML100 |b .N48 2001
24504 |a The new Grove dictionary of music and musicians / |c edited by Stanley
Sadie ; executive editor, John Tyrrell.
ML
100
.N48
2001
single cutter by main entry (title)
Call Number with Double Letters for Subclass & a Single cutter

8. 050 00 |a ZA3075 .B87 2010
100 1_ |a Burkhardt, Joanna M.
650 _0 |a Information literacy |x Study and teaching (Higher) |v Problems,
exercises, etc.
245 10 |a Teaching information literacy : |b 50 standards-based exercises for
college students
ZA information resources
3075
.B87
2010
Z for Bibliography & library science
ZA for information resources
260 __ |a Chicago : |b American Library Association, |c 2010.
Call Number with a Double Letters for Sub-class and single cutter

9. The single cutter in the call number below is derived from:
A. Creator
B. Subdivision of Subclass TL
C. Title
D. LC Subject Headings
TL
521
.312
.N333
2012
24500 |a NASA / |c Margaret Haerens, book editor.
61010 |a United States. |b National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
651_0 |a Outer space |x Exploration |z United States.
650_0 |a Astronautics |z United States.
Multiple choice
Question

10. CALL NUMBER WITH
DOUBLE CUTTERS
GV Recreation & Leisure
884 Biography (basketball)
.J63 1st Cutter number: subdivision of biography for Johnson
H382 2nd for Main entry (creator)
1989 Pub. year
050 00 |a GV884.J63 |b H38 1989
100 1_ |a Haskins, James, |d 1941-2005.
245 10 |a Sports great Magic Johnson / |c
James Haskins.

11. 100 1_ |a Nabokov, Peter, |e author.
245 10 |a How the world moves : |b the odyssey of an American Indian family /
|c Peter Nabokov.
650 _0 |a Pueblo Indians |x History |y 19th century.
050 _4 |a E99.P9 |b N236 2015
E History of America
E99 Native of American Indians
.P9 Pueblo Indians (subtopic cutter)
N236 Author’s Cutter
2015
Call Numbers with Double Cutters

12. Cutter Numbers can be used to provide subdivisions for a subclass.

13. 050 00 |a F548.33 |b .T39 2011
100 1_ |a Taylor, Judy Sutton.
245 10 |a Chicago
651 _0 |a Chicago (Ill.) |v Juvenile literature.
260 __ |a New York : |b DK, |c 2011.
F local history of U.S. …
548.33 Class number with decimal extension for
Chicago
.T39 Book cutter (by creator)
2011 Year of pub.
Main Class number with decimal for extension

14. 050 00 |a Z657 |b .G73 2005
100 1_ |a Green, Jonathon, |d 1948-
245 14 |a The encyclopedia of censorship.
650 _0 |a Censorship |v Encyclopedias.
050 00 |a Z658.U5 |b C395 2007
245 00 |a Censorship / |c Julia Bauder, book editor.
650 _0 |a Censorship |z United States.
Z
657 Censorship (general)
.G73
2005
Z
658 Censorship by
country
.U5 (United States)
C395
2007
Call Numbers with Double Cuttering for geographic cutter

15. 050 00 |a HV7435 |b .G857 2010
245 00 |a Gun control / |c Christina Fisanick, book editor.
650 _0 |a Gun control .
050 00 |a KF3941 |b .H46 2005
100 1_ |a Henderson, Harry, |d 1951-
245 10 |a Gun control
650 _0 |a Firearms |x Law and legislation |z United States.
650 _0 |a Gun control |z United States.
HV Subclass for social
pathology
7435
.G857
2010
KF Law of U.S.
3941 Federal law gun control
.H46
2005
Similar topic with different Classifications

16. 50 00 |a JK526 2008 |b .W56 2009
245 00 |a Winning the White House 2008 : |b the Gallup poll, public opinion,
and the presidency
650 _0 |a Presidents |z United States |x Election |y 2008.
JK
526
2008
.W56
2009
The weirdo: Two years appears in the call number!
Election year
Publication year

17. 100 1_ |a Hopkinson, Nalo.
245 14 |a The Chaos / |c Nalo Hopkinson.
050 00 |a PZ7.H778127 |b Ch 2012
650 _0 |a Interpersonal relations |v Juvenile fiction.
650 _1 |a Interpersonal relations |v Fiction.
PZ
7
.H778127
Ch (no number!)
2012
Another weirdo: 2nd Cutter with two letters without number!

18. 050 00 |a PZ7.Z837 |b Boo 2007
100 1_ |a Zusak, Markus.
245 14 |a The book thief / |c by Markus Zusak.
651 _0 |a Germany |x History |y 1933-1945 |v Juvenile fiction
PZ
7
.Z837
Boo
2007

19. What is unique about PZ7 cutting?
A. The first cutter does not have a number.
B. The second cutter does not have a number.
C. Year of publication is excluded.
D. All the above.

20. PS American Literature
PS3550-3576 Individual authors 1961-2000

21. PS American literature
3568 Individual authors 1961-2000 whose last name begins with “O”
A Second letter of her last name (Oates)
8 Cutter by third letter of author’s last name (Oates)
Example of How an Author Number is Assigned – Joyce Carol Oates
PS
3568
.A8

22. PS
3563
.O8749
PS 3550-3576 American individual authors 1961-2000
Toni Morrison, 1931-
PS
3561
.I483
PS
3573
.A425
PS
3568
.O243
PS
3607
.I28
Who doesn’t belong here?

23. PS American Literature
PS 3600-3626 Individual authors 2000-
PS
3607
.I28
Born in 1972
First novel 2004
PS
3619
.T636
Born in 1969
First novel 2009

24. PS 3563.O8749 B4
2000
PS 3563.O8749 J38 2004
PS 3563.O8749 T37 1981
PS3563.O8749 H66 2013
PS 3563.O8749 A6
2000
PS3563 .O8749 Z565 2001PS3563.O8749 Z6
1994 PS3563.O8749 Z753
All works by and about an author have the same number up to the first Cutter. .All sub-arrangement of works,
biography, & criticism are accomplished by using the second Cutter and the date.

25. Critical essays on Toni Morrison's Beloved
By Barbara Solomon
PS3563.O8749 B434 1998
Toni Morrison's Beloved and the apotropaic imagination
By Kathleen Marks
PS3563.O8749 B435 2002
Toni Morrison, Beloved
By Carl Plasa
PS3563.O8749 B436 1998
Toni Morrison’s Beloved: a casebook
By William C. Andrews, Nellie Y. McKay
PS3563.O8749 B438 1999
PS 3563.O8749 B4 2000
Call numbers for books on Critiques of “Beloved”

26. 05000 |a PS3565.A8 |b A6 2014b
1001_ |a Oates, Joyce Carol, |d 1938- |e author.
24010 |a Short stories. |k Selections
24510 |a Lovely, dark, deep : |b stories / |c Joyce Carol
Oates.
Collected works [H R N]
Including collected works in specific genres
1 No. 1 Cutter
No.
By date [H R N] .A1 .x date
By editor [H R N]
Subarrangement by editor has been discontinued by the Library of Congress.
Beginning in 2005, all collected works are subarranged by date
(.A11-.A13) (.xA11-.xA13)
Collected prose, poetry, plays, etc. [H R N]
For collected genres see .A1
(.A14-.A19) (.xA14-.xA19)
Translations (Collected or selected) [H R N]
Modern versions of early authors in the same language. By
date [H R N]
.A199 .xA199
Polyglot. By date [H R N] .A1995 .xA1995
English. By date [H R N] .A2 .xA2
French. By date [H R N] .A3 .xA3
German. By date [H R N] .A4 .xA4
Other. By language (alphabetically) and date [H R N]
.A5-.A59 .xA5-
.xA59
Selected works. Selections. By date [H R N] .A6 .xA6
Separate works. By title [H R N]
Subarrange each work by Table P-PZ43
.A61-.Z48 .xA61-
.xZ458
Biography and criticism [H R N]
Periodicals. Societies. Serials [H R N]
.Z481-.Z489 .xZ4581-
.xZ4589
Using Cutter to organize materials

27. References: LC Classification & Call Numbers (Slideshare)
Library of Congress Call Numbers: A Guide for Non-catalogers Who Suddenly
Find Themselves with a Cataloging Job
http://www.slideshare.net/akroeger/kroeger-lcclassification?related=1
Subject Analysis, Library of Congress Classification, Part I.
http://www.slideshare.net/Richard.Sapon-White/subject-analysis-library-of-
congress-classification-part-1

28. References : Cutter Tables
Biographical Table –Yale University
http://web.library.yale.edu/cataloging/Orbis2Manual/biography
LC utter Table from Yale University Library
http://www.library.yale.edu/cataloging/cuttertable.htm
Nebraska Library Commission
https://nlc.nebraska.gov/cataloging/cutter.aspx
More than what you want to know…
Call Number Shelflisting (Cutter Number, Dates etc.)
https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-
8#q=Call+Number+Shelflisting+(Cutter+Number%2C+Dates+etc.
Cutter Tables for Literacy Authors with one cutter number
http://www2.hawaii.edu/~chopey/PPZ40.htm

29. The End
Thank you for your attention!
Siew-Ben Chin
Library Faculty
Associate Professor
Richard J. Daley College
Library
schin@ccc.edu
1/9/2016